Meaning & use
non-medical
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Not relating to medicine or the treatment of illness.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: non-medical use. It can also follow a linking verb: The reason was non-medical.
Patterns
- non-medical reasons
- non-medical use
- non-medical staff
The drug is sometimes used for non-medical reasons.
She works in a non-medical role at the hospital.
The insurance covers non-medical costs like travel.
adjectivebefore a noun
Not having medical training or not being a doctor or nurse.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe people or jobs: non-medical staff.
Patterns
- non-medical staff
- non-medical professional
Non-medical staff are not allowed to give injections.
The clinic hired non-medical workers to handle paperwork.
A non-medical person cannot diagnose an illness.
Common combinations
- for non-medical reasons
- He takes the supplement for non-medical reasons.
- non-medical use
- Non-medical use of the drug is illegal.
- non-medical staff
- The hospital has many non-medical staff.
- non-medical costs
- Insurance may cover non-medical costs such as parking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonclinical
- Similar, but often refers to settings or work not directly involving patients.
- lay
- Can mean not professionally trained, but is broader and not limited to medicine.
Opposites
Word family
- medical adjective
- Relating to medicine.
- medically adverb
- In a medical way or from a medical point of view.
Commonly confused: non-medical or nonmedical?
non-medical vs nonmedical
Same meaning, but usually written without a hyphen in American English.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
Non-medical is an adjective that describes 'reasons'. It cannot stand alone after 'for' or be used as an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-medical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.