nonbelligerency
Americannoun
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the state or status of not participating in a war.
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the status or policy of a nation that does not participate openly in a war but supports the cause of one of the belligerents.
Etymology
Origin of nonbelligerency
First recorded in 1935–40; non- + belligerency
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.
“While hardly a pacifist country,” America has, Mr. Mandelbaum writes, tried to establish peace and nonbelligerency as “a permanent condition of international affairs.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The government's answer might be that it does in fact have a kind of declaration of nonbelligerency.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Kissinger is also urging the Israelis to consider new talks aimed at securing a pledge of nonbelligerency from Sadat.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Specifically, as a starter, Rabin suggested the return of the West Bank city of Jericho to Jordan in return for a nonbelligerency pact.
From Time Magazine Archive
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At this point, Sadat cannot agree to a formal declaration of nonbelligerency, which Israel demands in return for withdrawing from the Mitla and Giddi passes and surrendering the Abu Rudeis oilfields in the Sinai desert.
From Time Magazine Archive
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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.