nonviolent
Americanadjective
-
not violent; free of violence.
-
peacefully resistant, as in response to or protest against injustice, especially on moral or philosophical grounds.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonviolent
Vocabulary lists containing nonviolent
We're not asking, we're demanding: Vocabulary from "Selma," the movie
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: non-
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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.
"However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes."
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
“However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
As mayor, she said, she would have nonviolent jail inmates pick up litter in exchange for time off their sentences.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“That nonviolent escalation leaves room for more talks, but will likely push oil prices higher in the interim.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026
That Sunday evening Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wired President Kennedy from Atlanta, telling him he was going to Birmingham to plead with blacks to remain nonviolent.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
