Meaning & use
non-systematic
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not done according to a fixed plan or organized method; lacking a clear system.
Grammar: Describes a method, approach, or pattern; it is not used in the comparative or superlative.
Patterns
- non-systematic approach
- non-systematic way of doing something
- non-systematic sampling
- non-systematic review
Their non-systematic approach to collecting data led to many gaps.
The study was criticized for its non-systematic sampling method.
He took a non-systematic route through the city, turning whenever he felt like it.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Not arranged or occurring in a regular, ordered pattern.
Grammar: Often used in technical contexts to describe patterns that lack regularity.
Patterns
- non-systematic pattern
- non-systematic variation
- non-systematic error
The non-systematic variation in the measurements made analysis difficult.
Non-systematic errors are unpredictable and hard to correct.
The arrangement of the particles was non-systematic, showing no repeating order.
Common combinations
- non-systematic approach
- A non-systematic approach may miss important details.
- non-systematic sampling
- Non-systematic sampling can introduce bias into the results.
- non-systematic review
- They conducted a non-systematic review of the literature rather than a full meta-analysis.
- non-systematic way
- She organized the files in a non-systematic way, so nothing was easy to find.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unsystematic
- Means the same and is more common in everyday writing; 'non-systematic' is more formal and often used in academic texts.
- disorganized
- Focuses on lack of order or planning, often describing a person or place; 'non-systematic' describes methods or patterns, not people.
- random
- Suggests no pattern at all, often by chance; 'non-systematic' simply means without a fixed system, which may still have some loose order.
Opposites
Word family
- systematically adverb
- In a careful, organized way.
- systematic adjective
- Done according to a fixed plan or method.
- system noun
- A set of connected things or a method of organizing something.
Commonly confused: non-systematic or unsystematic?
non-systematic vs unsystematic
Both mean 'not systematic', but 'unsystematic' is the more common and general term; 'non-systematic' is often used in technical or academic writing and may imply a deliberate choice not to use a system.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'non-systematic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly describes an approach lacking a fixed method. Option 1 misuses the word because it describes a person's clothing, not a method. Option 2 is wrong because machines are not described as 'non-systematic'. Option 3 is grammatically wrong because 'non-systematic' is an adjective, not an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-systematic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.