Meaning & use
nonnegotiable
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not open to discussion, change, or compromise; fixed and firm.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a nonnegotiable price; the price is nonnegotiable.
Patterns
- a nonnegotiable price
- a nonnegotiable term
- something is nonnegotiable
The salary is nonnegotiable, so don't bother asking for more.
For her, honesty is nonnegotiable in a friendship.
The deadline is nonnegotiable; we must finish by Friday.
nouncountableinformal
A condition or demand that cannot be changed or given up.
Grammar: Often used in the plural: set out your nonnegotiables.
Patterns
- a list of nonnegotiables
- someone's nonnegotiables
Before you start house-hunting, make a list of your nonnegotiables.
Safety is one of our nonnegotiables.
Word forms
| plural | nonnegotiables |
|---|
Common combinations
- nonnegotiable price
- The car has a nonnegotiable price, so there is no haggling.
- nonnegotiable demand
- The workers made a nonnegotiable demand for higher pay.
- nonnegotiable term
- The contract includes several nonnegotiable terms.
- absolutely nonnegotiable
- The safety rules are absolutely nonnegotiable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fixed
- Can mean set and not changing, but it does not always suggest that discussion is refused.
- inflexible
- Often describes a person who refuses to change their opinion, rather than a rule or price.
- firm
- Suggests strong determination, but it can still allow for some discussion.
Opposites
Word family
- negotiable adjective
- Open to discussion or change.
- negotiate verb
- To discuss something in order to reach an agreement.
- negotiation noun
- The process of discussing something to reach an agreement.
Commonly confused: nonnegotiable or negotiable?
nonnegotiable vs negotiable
Negotiable means open to discussion, while nonnegotiable means the opposite: not open to discussion. The prefix non- makes the difference.
Practice
The hotel manager said the booking fee was ______, so we had to pay the full amount.
Choose one answer.
"Nonnegotiable" means it cannot be changed or discussed, which fits the context of having to pay the full amount. "Negotiable" would mean the fee could be discussed or reduced, which contradicts the sentence. "Negotiate" is a verb and "negotiation" is a noun, so neither fits grammatically after "was".
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonnegotiable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.