Meaning & use
non-strategic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounbusiness
Not important for achieving a long-term plan or main goal; not strategic.
Grammar: Typically used before a noun: 'non-strategic assets'.
Patterns
- non-strategic assets
- non-strategic business unit
The company sold its non-strategic assets to focus on its core products.
They decided to outsource non-strategic functions like cleaning and catering.
adjectivebefore a nounmilitary
Not related to military strategy or important long-term planning.
Grammar: Used before a noun: 'non-strategic weapons'.
Patterns
- non-strategic nuclear weapons
- non-strategic forces
The treaty covers non-strategic nuclear weapons as well as long-range missiles.
Non-strategic forces were reduced as part of the peace agreement.
Common combinations
- non-strategic assets
- The firm is looking to divest non-strategic assets.
- non-strategic business
- They classified the retail division as a non-strategic business.
- non-strategic nuclear weapons
- Talks focused on limiting non-strategic nuclear weapons in Europe.
- non-strategic functions
- Non-strategic functions such as IT support are often outsourced.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peripheral
- Peripheral means not central, but it can refer to physical position as well as importance; non-strategic specifically means not part of a strategy.
- non-essential
- Non-essential means not necessary, while non-strategic means not important for long-term goals; something non-essential might still be strategic.
Opposites
Word family
- strategy noun
- A plan to achieve a goal.
- strategic adjective
- Important for achieving a plan.
- strategically adverb
- In a way that relates to strategy.
Commonly confused: non-strategic or nonstrategic?
non-strategic vs nonstrategic
This is the same word without a hyphen; both are correct, but the hyphenated form is more common in formal writing.
Practice
What does 'non-strategic' most likely mean in a business context?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because 'non-strategic' means not strategic, i.e., not crucial to the main plan. Option 0 is the opposite. Option 2 is unrelated. Option 3 is the military sense, not the business one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-strategic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.