non-native

adjective

non-na·​tive ˌnän-ˈnā-tiv 

variants or nonnative

: not native: such as

a

of a plant or animal : living or growing in a place that is not the location of its natural occurrence

a non-native fish species

… overgrazing causes grasslands to give way to sagebrush, mesquite and non-native exotic grasses, environmentalists contend.

—Doug McInnis

b

: not born or raised in the place where a particular language is spoken

non-native inhabitants

a nonnative speaker of English [=a person who speaks English but whose native language is not English]

non-native noun

or nonnative

plural non-natives or nonnatives

popular among both natives and non-natives

Synonyms

• alien
• foreign

Examples of non-native in a Sentence

nonnative customs that made the recent immigrants stand out in their new country

Recent Examples on the Web

During this period, a non-native plant, buffelgrass, began to colonize the park. —CBS News, 15 May 2024

Still other mitigation efforts include introducing non-native predators of the emerald ash borer, such as stingless wasps. —Gaby Vinick, ABC News, 13 May 2024

We’re scolded for growing a lawn ― chastised for growing a tea rose or a daphne or some other non-native plant. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 10 May 2024

To do so, Lale talks to nature writer Jessica J. Lee about how, as she's lived around the world, learning about non-native plants has given her a sense of belonging. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Apr. 2024

At Nebraska Indian Community College, with three campuses on or near the Omaha and Santee reservations, the pandemic more than doubled native enrollment, according to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, while the number of non-native students increased nearly twelvefold. —Matt Krupnick, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024

Widely rolled out detection tools could put more pressure on non-native speakers who are already tasked with overcoming language barriers. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024

Today, however, the biggest threats are non-native predators, such as foxes and feral cats. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024

Weed Wrangles are single-day events in public parks and green spaces where volunteers remove non-native invasive plants. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above