Meaning & use
non-cancelable
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparablebusiness
Cannot be canceled; not able to be called off or ended before the agreed time.
Grammar: Describes a contract, ticket, order or booking: a non-cancelable booking. It is not used in the comparative.
Patterns
- a non-cancelable contract
- non-cancelable tickets
- non-cancelable once booked
The airline sold me a non-cancelable ticket, so I lost the money when my plans changed.
Read the terms carefully: the gym membership is non-cancelable for twelve months.
They signed a non-cancelable lease on the office space.
adjectivenot comparablefinance
In finance, (of an order or agreement) that cannot be withdrawn once placed.
Grammar: Used before a noun in trading contexts: a non-cancelable order.
Patterns
- a non-cancelable order
- non-cancelable instructions
The broker entered a non-cancelable order just before the market closed.
Once you confirm, the transfer is non-cancelable.
Traders use non-cancelable instructions to guarantee execution.
Common combinations
- non-cancelable contract
- The phone company made him sign a non-cancelable contract for two years.
- non-cancelable booking
- The hotel booking was cheaper because it was non-cancelable.
- non-cancelable order
- He placed a non-cancelable order for the shares.
- non-cancelable once confirmed
- The reservation is non-cancelable once confirmed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- binding
- Means you are legally required to keep the agreement; 'non-cancelable' focuses on not being able to cancel it.
- irrevocable
- Stronger and more formal; it means it cannot be changed or taken back at all.
Opposites
Word family
- cancel verb
- To decide that an arranged event or agreement will not happen.
- cancellation noun
- The act of canceling something, or an instance of it.
- cancelable adjective
- Able to be canceled.
Commonly confused: non-cancelable or non-refundable?
non-cancelable vs non-refundable
Non-refundable means you cannot get your money back; non-cancelable means you cannot cancel the booking at all. A ticket can be cancelable but still non-refundable.
Practice
Because the flight was ______, she could not get any money back when she changed her plans.
Choose one answer.
'Non-cancelable' means it cannot be canceled, which explains why she lost the money. 'Cancelable' is the opposite, and the other two words mean 'not actionable' and 'not conforming', which do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-cancelable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.