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Words with the prefix non-

non- means “not; absence of”, from Latin.

16 examples of the prefix non-

  1. nonfatnon- + fatcontaining no fat
  2. nonstopnon- + stopwithout any stops
  3. nonprofitnon- + profitnot seeking profit
  4. nonlivingnon- + livingnot alive
  5. nonfictionnon- + fictionnot fictional writing
  6. nonviolentnon- + violentnot using violence
  7. nonexistentnon- + existentnot existing at all
  8. nontoxicnon- + toxicnot poisonous or harmful
  9. nonconformistnon- + conformistone who does not conform
  10. nonrenewablenon- + renewablecannot be naturally replenished
  11. noncompliantnon- + compliantnot following rules or requirements
  12. nonpartisannon- + partisannot aligned with any party
  13. noncommittalnon- + committalnot expressing a clear opinion
  14. nondescriptnon- + descriptlacking distinctive or interesting qualities
  15. nonplussednon- + plussedso surprised as to be confused

Also: nonverbal

How non- works

The prefix 'non-' attaches to nouns, adjectives, and adverbs without changing its spelling, making it simpler than variants like 'in-' which assimilates to 'im-', 'il-', or 'ir-'. Unlike 'un-' or 'in-', 'non-' typically signals simple absence or exclusion rather than a reversal or negation of an action.

Watch out: The word 'none' looks like it begins with 'non-' but actually derives from Old English 'nan' (not one), with no prefix-plus-base structure.

To see prefixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.

Other common prefixes

Questions people ask

What does the prefix non- mean?

non- means “not; absence of”. It comes from Latin. The prefix 'non-' attaches to nouns, adjectives, and adverbs without changing its spelling, making it simpler than variants like 'in-' which assimilates to 'im-', 'il-', or 'ir-'. Unlike 'un-' or 'in-', 'non-' typically signals simple absence or exclusion rather than a reversal or negation of an action.

What are some examples of words with the prefix non-?

nonfat, nonstop, nonprofit, nonliving, nonfiction, nonviolent, nonexistent, nontoxic. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.

Which words look like they have the prefix non- but don’t?

The word 'none' looks like it begins with 'non-' but actually derives from Old English 'nan' (not one), with no prefix-plus-base structure.

What is a prefix?

A prefix is a word part added to the front of a base word or root to change its meaning, like un- in unhappy or re- in rewrite. It does not usually change the part of speech.