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Synonyms

nonbelligerent

American

[non-buh-lij-er-uhnt] / ˌnɒn bəˈlɪdʒ ər ənt /

adjective

of or relating to a country whose status or policy is one of nonbelligerency.

noun

a nation that does not engage officially in a war but openly favors or gives aid to one of the active participants.

Etymology

Origin of nonbelligerent

First recorded in 1905–10; non- + belligerent

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.

The issue is sensitive for the U.S. government, which has cast itself as a nonbelligerent friend to the government in Kyiv as it fights for its sovereignty and survival.

From Washington Post

“It is rare that a nonthreatening, nonbelligerent person ends up dying like this. ... What was the officers’ justification for detaining him?

From Los Angeles Times

Over time, such cooperation could gradually acclimate Arab peoples to a nonbelligerent stance toward Israel.

From Washington Post

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.