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nonliving

American

[nahn-liv-ing] / ˌnɑnˈlɪv ɪŋ /

adjective

not living; not alive.

Vocabulary lists containing nonliving

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: non-

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Example Sentences

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nonliving

It was once thought that the difference between living and nonliving things was absolute and miraculous, something that couldn’t be explained by science alone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

While each provides valuable insights, none offers a complete explanation of how life emerged from nonliving matter.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026

The recycling of nutrients from detritus, or nonliving organic matter, is a core process in all ecosystems.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2023

In the Great Andamanese view of nature, the foremost distinction was between tajio, the living, and eleo, the nonliving.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 14, 2023

Perhaps there is some special inorganic, nonliving catalyst in the soil that is able to fix atmospheric gases and convert them into organic molecules.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023