Meaning & use
non-routine
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableformal
Not part of the normal repeated pattern of work or activity, and so needing special attention or thought.
Grammar: Usually appears before a noun: non-routine tasks.
Patterns
- a non-routine task
Robots handle repetitive jobs, while people deal with non-routine problems.
The nurse reported a non-routine change in the patient's breathing.
Non-routine maintenance requires approval from the manager.
Common combinations
- non-routine task
- Planning a new product launch is a non-routine task for the team.
- non-routine work
- Most office staff spend part of the day on non-routine work.
- non-routine procedure
- The surgeon explained that it was a non-routine procedure.
- non-routine event
- A power cut is a non-routine event that staff must report.
- non-routine check
- A non-routine check showed the engine needed new parts.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unusual
- Unusual is a general word for anything out of the ordinary, while non-routine focuses on departing from a regular procedure.
- irregular
- Irregular suggests something does not happen on a fixed schedule, whereas non-routine means it is outside standard tasks.
- special
- Special suggests something is better or set apart, but non-routine is neutral and only means not usual.
- ad hoc
- Ad hoc means arranged for one particular purpose, usually on the spot, which is narrower than non-routine.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: non-routine or nonroutine?
non-routine vs nonroutine
This is simply another spelling of the same word without the hyphen.
Practice
Which job is most likely described as non-routine?
Choose one answer.
An unexpected failure does not follow the normal pattern. The other tasks are repeated regularly, so they are routine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-routine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.