nonrenewable

adjective

non·​re·​new·​able ˌnän-ri-ˈnü-ə-bəl 

-ˈnyü-

: not able to be renewed : not renewable

a nonrenewable service contract

especially : unable to be replaced or replenished once used

… most of the natural resources that we exploit for energy and minerals are nonrenewable. Once they have been used up, they cannot be replenished—at least in our lifetime.

—Sheldon Judson and Marvin E. Kauffman

A nonrenewable resource is a resource that cannot be replaced after it is used. Minerals and many fuels are nonrenewable resources.

—Dr. Timothy Cooney et al.

Physical and economic shortages of nonrenewable resources require research programs aimed at developing renewable replacement resources.

—Predicasts Technology Update

Lubbock is the principal city of the semi-arid southern High Plains of Texas, where the extensive, nonrenewable Ogallala aquifer is the major water resource.

—AAG Abstracts

Examples of nonrenewable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Conventional building materials can put a considerable strain on the environment, utilizing a wide range of nonrenewable resources and creating high volumes of waste. —Rotem Eylor, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

Climate groups acknowledged that while the administration achieved great things for their cause, its insistence on compromising between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources drained the enthusiasm of leftist environmental movement. —Alex J. Rouhandeh, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

Specifically, their resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to institute nonrenewable 18-year terms for new Supreme Court justices, with a new term starting every two years. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 9 Dec. 2024

In many cases, the electricity used to power the AI data centers today relies on nonrenewable energy sources such as coal or gas. —Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above