nonconsensual

adjective

non·​con·​sen·​su·​al ˌnän-kən-ˈsen(t)-sh(ə-)wəl How to pronounce nonconsensual (audio)
-shəl,
-shü-əl
: not agreed to by one or more of the people involved : not consensual
nonconsensual sex
nonconsensually adverb
… I pointed out that it's always painful and infuriating when people are nonconsensually manipulated into humiliating themselves to make someone else's point … Carol Queen

Examples of nonconsensual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The letter warned that Drake’s nonconsensual use of Shakur’s likeness violates Shakur’s right to publicity, an intellectual property right protecting against the misappropriation of somebody’s name or image. Angela Yang, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024 The move comes days after the UK government announced plans for a new law that will make creating nonconsensual deepfakes a criminal offense. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024 They’re being used to make nonconsensual pornography, muddy the truth during elections and promote products on social media using celebrity impersonations. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024 From 1919 to 1952, more than 20,000 nonconsensual sterilizations took place in that state; the law was not repealed until 1979 in state hospitals and, frighteningly, was still in effect in state prisons until 2010. Amanda Masse and Nadi Nina Kaonga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2024 The complaints, which have been made under the Digital Media Copyright Act (DMCA), have resulted in thousands of nonconsensual videos being removed from the web. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 Users in the group reportedly joked about how the images of Swift went viral on X. X’s policies regarding synthetic and manipulated media and nonconsensual nudity both explicitly ban this kind of content from being hosted on the platform. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 25 Jan. 2024 Currently, no federal laws protect the victims of nonconsensual deepfakes. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 And in fact, before generative AI, 90% of what everyone was calling deepfakes were essentially nonconsensual imagery targeted at women. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonconsensual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonconsensual was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near nonconsensual

Cite this Entry

“Nonconsensual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonconsensual. Accessed 8 May. 2024.

Legal Definition

nonconsensual

adjective
non·​con·​sen·​su·​al
ˌnän-kən-ˈsen-chə-wəl
: not involving consent : not consented to
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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