nonviolence

N1O1N1V4I1O1L1E1N1C3E1

noun

A philosophy that rejects the use of violence, and instead seeks to bring about change through peaceful responses even to violent acts.

Similar
passive resistancenonviolent resistance
OriginEnglish violence ← Middle English violence ← Old French violence →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

nounnonviolence (usually uncountable, plural nonviolences)

plural nonviolences · alternative non-violence

  1. uncountableusuallyA philosophy that rejects the use of violence, and instead seeks to bring about change through peaceful responses even to violent acts.

    From this theological perspective, the spectrum of violences has to give way to a spectrum of nonviolences.

    2014, Jamie Pitts, Principalities and Powers

Synonyms & antonyms

nounpeaceful resistance to a government by fasting or refusing to cooperate

Similar
passive resistancenonviolent resistance
Broader
direct action
Also see
noninjurypassive resistance

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Germanic*ne
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
  5. Proto-Germanic*ainaz
  6. Proto-Germanic*nainaz
  7. Proto-West Germanic*nain
  8. Old Englishnān
  9. Middle Englishnon
  10. Old Englishnān
  11. Old Englishnān-
  12. Middle Englishnon-
  13. Englishnon-
  14. Latinviolēns /violentus
  15. Latinviolentia
  16. Old Frenchviolence
  17. Middle Englishviolence
  18. Englishviolence
  19. Englishnonviolence

From non- + violence.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic لاعنف
  • لاعنفphilosophy that rejects violence
Catalan no-violència
  • no-violènciaphilosophy that rejects violence
Chinese Mandarin 非暴力
  • 非暴力 (fēibàolì)philosophy that rejects violence
Czech nenásilí
  • nenásilíphilosophy that rejects violence
Dutch geweldloosheid
  • geweldloosheidphilosophy that rejects violence
Esperanto neperforto
  • neperfortophilosophy that rejects violence
Finnish väkivallattomuus
  • väkivallattomuusphilosophy that rejects violence
French non-violence, non-résistance
  • non-violencephilosophy that rejects violence
  • non-résistancephilosophy that rejects violence
  • non resistancephilosophy that rejects violence
German Gewaltlosigkeit, Gewaltfreiheit
  • Gewaltlosigkeitphilosophy that rejects violence
  • Gewaltfreiheitphilosophy that rejects violence
Hindi अहिंसा
  • अहिंसा (ahinsā)philosophy that rejects violence
Hungarian erőszakmentesség
  • erőszakmentességphilosophy that rejects violence
Italian nonviolenza
  • nonviolenzaphilosophy that rejects violence
Japanese 非暴力
  • 非暴力 (hibōryoku)philosophy that rejects violence
Korean 비폭력
  • 비폭력 (bipongnyeok)philosophy that rejects violence
Latin inviolentia, non violentia
  • inviolentiaphilosophy that rejects violence
  • non violentiaphilosophy that rejects violence
Persian پرهیز از خشونت
  • پرهیز از خشونتphilosophy that rejects violence
Portuguese não-violência
  • não-violênciaphilosophy that rejects violence
Russian ненаси́лие, отка́з от примене́ния наси́льственных мето́дов
  • ненаси́лие (nenasílije)philosophy that rejects violence
  • отка́з от примене́ния наси́льственных мето́дов (otkáz ot primenénija nasílʹstvennyx metódov)philosophy that rejects violence
Spanish abstención de la violencia
  • abstención de la violenciaphilosophy that rejects violence
Swedish icke-våld
  • icke-våldphilosophy that rejects violence
Ukrainian ненасильство
  • ненасильство (nenasylʹstvo)philosophy that rejects violence
Vietnamese bất bạo động
  • bất bạo độngphilosophy that rejects violence
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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