nonnative

[ non-ney-tiv ]
See synonyms for nonnative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to a language that is not the first language acquired by a person: It is harder to communicate in your nonnative language.

  2. of or relating to a person communicating in a nonnative language: a nonnative speaker of English.

  1. Biology. of or relating to a plant or animal that is not indigenous to a region: The proliferation of nonnative plants is choking out the local flora.

  2. Digital Technology. of or relating to software that was not originally designed for the platform on which it is running: nonnative user interfaces;nonnative apps.

Origin of nonnative

1
First recorded in 1850–60; non- + native

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nonnative in a sentence

  • In the South they are more numerous than any other non-native element.

    The Old World in the New | Edward Alsworth Ross
  • A decade ago the Irish were found to be relatively thrice as numerous in our almshouses as other non-native elements.

    The Old World in the New | Edward Alsworth Ross
  • The non-native element shows distinct tendencies to dwell in groups.

    The Frontier in American History | Frederick Jackson Turner

British Dictionary definitions for non-native

non-native

noun
  1. a person who is not a native of a particular place or country

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012