nonlife

noun

non·​life ˌnän-ˈlīf How to pronounce nonlife (audio)
: absence of life
… suggested there were creatures that crossed routinely between life and nonlife, from being an organism to being a chemical—and back again.Fred Hapgood

Examples of nonlife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The driver, an adult male, was also transported to Shock Trauma and sustained nonlife threatening injuries. Jennifer Gable, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2023 And some scientists wonder whether assembly theory can even deliver on its more modest promises to distinguish life from nonlife, and to think about complexity in a new way. Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2023 Yanski was taken to an area hospital with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, while Mayer was hospitalized in critical condition after the crash. Dialynn Dwyer, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2023 One of the pedestrians suffered life-threatening injuries, while the other five suffered serious, but nonlife threatening injuries, Curry said. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Three people who were in the vehicle suffered nonlife threatening injuries and were treated and released, according to police. Mike Nolan, chicagotribune.com, 30 Dec. 2021 Both the officer and the suspect suffered nonlife-threatening injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Rebecca Loroff, Journal Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2022 Two other people, a man and a woman, reported nonlife-threatening injuries and were hospitalized. Alexandra Del Rosariostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2022 Both officers were taken to a hospital and released with nonlife-threatening injuries. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 2 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonlife was in 1734

Dictionary Entries Near nonlife

Cite this Entry

“Nonlife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlife. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

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