nonliving

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /nɑnˈlɪvɪŋ/ UK /nɒnˈlɪvɪŋ/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
not alive; inanimate

Rocks and water are nonliving parts of the ecosystem.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not alive; inanimate inanimate lifeless inorganic deadabiotic

Opposites

living alive animate

Word family

Related forms living live life

Etymology

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

# 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

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nonliving

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