nonviolent

[non-vahy-uh-luhnt]

adjective

1. not violent; free of violence.

2. peacefully resistant, as in response to or protest against injustice, especially on moral or philosophical grounds.

Other Word Forms

• nonviolently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonviolent¹

First recorded in 1915–20; non- + violent

Example Sentences

Some in the community thought he was “crazy” for bothering with nonviolent methods.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The bipartisan measure eased certain federal sentences by addressing disparities in drug penalties and giving judges added flexibility in sentencing nonviolent offenders.

Read more on Salon

That attorney turned out to be Brittany Barnett, who has had success obtaining clemency for inmates facing life sentences for nonviolent drug-related offenses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One strategy you could use is “nonviolent communication,” suggested Sabrina Romanoff, a New York City-based psychologist who specializes in relationships and life transitions.

Read more on MarketWatch

Boston’s nonviolent abolitionists failed spectacularly on their own terms.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• pacifist 
• passive