nonliving C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /nɑnˈlɪvɪŋ/ UK /nɒnˈlɪvɪŋ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj not alive; inanimate Rocks and water are nonliving parts of the ecosystem. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · not alive; inanimate inanimatelifelessinorganicdeadabiotic ↔ Opposites livingaliveanimate Word family Related forms livinglivelife Etymology AI details From non- ('not') + living, from Old English lifian ('to live'), from Proto-Germanic *libjaną. non Latin lifian Old English *libjaną Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # nonliving **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /nɑnˈlɪvɪŋ/ **IPA (UK):** /nɒnˈlɪvɪŋ/ ## Meanings 1. not alive; inanimate ## Examples - Rocks and water are nonliving parts of the ecosystem. ## Synonyms - inanimate - lifeless - inorganic - dead - abiotic ## Antonyms - living - alive - animate ## Related Forms - living - live - life ## Roots and Affixes - Root: non - Root: lifian - Root: *libjaną ## Etymology From non- ('not') + living, from Old English lifian ('to live'), from Proto-Germanic *libjaną. ## AI Etymology Nonliving is from non- ('not') + living, from Old English lifian ('to live'), from Proto-Germanic *libjaną. Important recorded forms include non (Latin), lifian (Old English), and *libjaną (Proto-Germanic). Morphologically, the non- element marks negation or exclusion while the base supplies the domain being denied. The modern sense is largely compositional: the word names the absence, exclusion, or opposite of the base idea. In current use it covers not alive; inanimate. The wider family includes related words such as living, live, and life. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown