nonlife

N1O1N1L1I1F4E1

noun

All objects or substances except those considered alive.

“Life reproduces. Everything else is nonlife.”

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Meanings

nounnonlife (countable and uncountable, plural nonlives)

plural nonlives · alternative non-life

  1. uncountablebiologyAll objects or substances except those considered alive.

    Life reproduces. Everything else is nonlife.

  2. countableA life so devoid of meaning or activity that it is barely worth living.

    These guys do good jobs given the kind of nonlives they live. It's inhuman. They can't go home. They can't see their ladies.

    2001, Peter M Coan, Taxi: The Harry Chapin Story
adjectivenonlife (not comparable)

alternative non-life

  1. not comparablebusinessRelating to types of insurance which are not life insurance

    The Dutch insurance industry has received a negative outlook from Moody's Investors Service Ltd. in London, reflecting in part concerns over unit-linked contracts and the absence of growth opportunities in the nonlife segment, according to a report released Thursday by the rating agency.

Origin

From non- + life.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nonlife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonlife

MLA

“nonlife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonlife. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nonlife,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nonlife.

Source: nonlife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.