nonsentence

N1O1N1S1E1N1T1E1N1C3E1

noun

An utterance that is not a sentence.

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Meanings

nounnonsentence (plural nonsentences)

plural nonsentences

  1. grammarAn utterance that is not a sentence.

    Those strings in the language are called sentences; the strings not in the language are called nonsentences.

    1979, Steven Pinker, “Formal models of language learning”, in Language, Cognition, and Human Nature

Origin

From non- + sentence.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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