Meaning & use
non-life-threatening
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Not likely to cause death; not seriously dangerous to life.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: 'a non-life-threatening injury'. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- non-life-threatening injury
- non-life-threatening condition
- non-life-threatening illness
The accident left him with non-life-threatening injuries.
She was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening conditions.
The doctor said the infection was non-life-threatening.
Common combinations
- non-life-threatening injury
- The cyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
- non-life-threatening condition
- He was treated for a non-life-threatening condition.
- non-life-threatening illness
- Most cases are non-life-threatening illnesses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- not serious
- A more general phrase; 'non-life-threatening' specifically means it will not cause death.
- minor
- Suggests small or unimportant; 'non-life-threatening' can still be quite painful or require treatment.
Opposites
Word family
- life-threatening adjective
- Likely to cause death.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'non-life-threatening' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Non-life-threatening' is an adjective that goes before the noun, as in 'non-life-threatening injuries'. It cannot follow the noun (option 2) or be used as an adverb (option 3), and it is not gradable with 'very' (option 4).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-life-threatening”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.