nonviolence

[ non-vahy-uh-luh ns ]

/ nɒnˈvaɪ ə ləns /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nonviolence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

absence or lack of violence; state or condition of avoiding violence.

the policy, practice, or technique of refraining from the use of violence, especially when reacting to or protesting against oppression, injustice, discrimination, or the like.

Nearby words

nonvenomous, nonverbal, nonverbal communication, nonviable, nonvintage, nonviolence, nonviolent, nonviolent resistance, nonviscous, nonvital pulp, nonvolatile

Compare passive resistance.

Origin of nonviolence

First recorded in 1915–20; non- + violence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nonviolence

Abbas has been committed—quite unsuccessfully, but nevertheless committed—to nonviolence.
After the Israel Synagogue Massacre: A New Intifada?|Michael Tomasky|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is why nonviolence is a powerful as well as a just weapon.
Alex Haley’s 1965 Playboy Interview with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.|Alex Haley|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I saw there, I felt there, for the first time, the pride and the power of nonviolence.
Alex Haley’s 1965 Playboy Interview with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.|Alex Haley|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Our policy to achieve a nonracial state by nonviolence had achieved nothing,” he concluded.
Anger at the Heart of Nelson Mandela’s Violent Struggle|Christopher Dickey|December 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But the Palestinians have not yet produced “a Mandela,” a leader truly dedicated to nonviolence and the two state solution.
Why Do People Keep Calling Israel an Apartheid State When It’s Not?|Peter Beinart|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nonviolence is essential to these people—they have vitality without needing destruction.
Planet of the Damned|Harry Harrison
He believed in nonviolence and the sanctity of life—until the first test, when he had killed without hesitation.
Planet of the Damned|Harry Harrison
Nonviolence is infinitely more wonderful and subtle than forces of nature like, for instance, electricity.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda
Nonviolence is the natural outgrowth of the law of forgiveness and love.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda
Every problem would lend itself to solution if we determined to make the law of truth and nonviolence the law of life.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for nonviolence

nonviolence

/ (nɒnˈvaɪələns) /

noun

abstention from the use of physical force to achieve goals

Derived Forms

nonviolent, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012