nonrenewable
Britishadjective
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Relating to a natural resource, such as petroleum or a mineral ore, that cannot be replaced once it has been extracted or procured. Nonrenewable resources that are not significantly altered by their use, including most metals, can often be recovered and their usefulness extended by recycling.
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Compare renewable
Vocabulary lists containing nonrenewable
Physics - Introductory
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Physics - Middle School
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Physics - High School
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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.
A loose movement against fossil fuels and the technology surrounding nonrenewable sources of energy has existed for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Some economists also expect fertilizer-grade phosphorus costs to skyrocket as the world’s supply of the nonrenewable resource dwindles.
From Science Magazine • May 2, 2023
Oregon and Washington, meanwhile, are working to ensure crypto mining operations eventually can’t buy power from nonrenewable sources in order to meet their energy demands.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023
Coal energy has three main advantages when compared to other sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy.
From Encyclopedia.com • Feb. 13, 2018
The insatiable appetite for metals, minerals, rare earths and other nonrenewable substances increased inexorably.
From The Universe — or Nothing by Moldeven, Meyer
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.
