nonrestrictive clause

nounGrammar.

a relative clause that describes or supplements but is not essential in establishing the identity of the antecedent and is usually set off by commas in English. In This year, which has been dry, is bad for crops the clause which has been dry is a nonrestrictive clause.

Origin of nonrestrictive clause

¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Also called descriptive clause.

Compare restrictive clause.

Words Nearby nonrestrictive clause

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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