nonverbal
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something that's nonverbal doesn't use spoken words. Nonverbal communication might consist of hand gestures or facial expressions. Use the adjective nonverbal when you talk about a method of communicating without spoken language, or a person who isn't able to use speech. The word verbal means "in the form of words," from the Latin verbum, "word," so anything that's nonverbal happens entirely without words. You can probably tell from a friend's nonverbal cues that she's uncomfortable — her face or body language might give her away.
Vocabulary lists containing nonverbal
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Face Facts: The Science of Facial Expressions" and "Silent Language"
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Anything But Typical
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It may omit relevant information while summarizing, mix up who is speaking and misinterpret context—such as missing nonverbal cues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
McClure, the St. Louis-area mother, said her son Trent, now 9, was born prematurely and is largely nonverbal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
Afterward, they completed standardized intelligence tests measuring verbal and nonverbal ability as well as perceptual reasoning.
From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025
The fourth edition, published in 1994, named additional behaviors: impaired relationships, struggles with nonverbal communication and speech patterns different from those of non-autistic, or neurotypical, peers.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025
This nonverbal communication of Tiamat's was starting to get out of hand!
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
