nonverbal

adjective

non·​ver·​bal ˌnän-ˈvər-bəl 

: not verbal: such as

a

: not involving or using words

Still, this pope projects eloquence in his off-the-cuff remarks or even during the long interludes between speeches when he is engaged in nonverbal communication with individuals and crowds.

—John S. Driscoll

… psychological aggression refers to both coercive verbal behaviors (e.g., insulting or swearing at partner) and coercive nonverbal behaviors that are not directed at the partner's body (e.g., slamming doors or smashing objects).

—Alan E. Kazdin et al.

b

: being other than verbal

… some hidden, nonverbal quality of her life that could only be alluded to in the act of painting.

—Diane Armitage

c

: lacking or appearing to lack the ability to engage in speech

She finds she can communicate with nonverbal children using drum beats, for example.

—Robert S. Greenberger

nonverbally

ˌnän-ˈvər-bə-lē 

adverb

Examples of nonverbal in a Sentence

Facial expressions are very important for nonverbal communication.

Recent Examples on the Web

The search for a nonverbal boy who went missing from his family’s Atlanta-area home came to a tragic end, Georgia authorities said. —Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

This has been good for employees' sense of autonomy, but managers are missing out on nonverbal cues and the opportunity to understand a person's baseline behavior in order to be able to identify if something is wrong. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

Cornelius said that the superintendent later informed her of other prior incidents including her son — who has autism and is nonverbal — getting a shower without her permission, getting called vulgar names by staff and teachers, and receiving other inappropriate comments. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2025

One of them will be a service dog for the youngest daughter, Eloise, 13, who is mostly nonverbal owing to a chromosomal deletion that caused developmental delays. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonverbal

• preverbal
• gerbil
• herbal
• verbal

Kids Definition

nonverbal

adjective

non·​ver·​bal (ˈ)nän-ˈvər-bəl 

1

: being other than verbal

nonverbal symbols

2

: involving little use of language

nonverbal tests

nonverbally

-bə-lē 

adverb