Meaning & use
nonsystematic
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Not done according to a fixed plan or method; not organized in a regular way.
Grammar: Describes a noun: a nonsystematic approach. It is not usually used after a verb like 'be' in everyday speech.
Patterns
- a nonsystematic approach
- nonsystematic sampling
- nonsystematic review
The study was criticized for its nonsystematic collection of data.
Their filing system is nonsystematic, so documents are often lost.
He took a nonsystematic approach to learning vocabulary, picking words at random.
Common combinations
- nonsystematic approach
- A nonsystematic approach to problem-solving can waste time.
- nonsystematic sampling
- Nonsystematic sampling may introduce bias into the results.
- nonsystematic review
- The report was a nonsystematic review of the literature, not a full meta-analysis.
- highly nonsystematic
- Their methods were highly nonsystematic and hard to replicate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unsystematic
- This is the more common form in British English and means the same thing; nonsystematic is especially used in American academic writing.
- haphazard
- Haphazard suggests carelessness or randomness, while nonsystematic simply means without a fixed system.
- disorganized
- Disorganized often refers to a person or place that is messy, whereas nonsystematic describes a method or process.
Opposites
Word family
- systematically adverb
- In a planned and organized way.
- systematic adjective
- Done according to a fixed plan or system.
- system noun
- A set of connected things or a method of organizing something.
Commonly confused: nonsystematic or unsystematic? nonsystematic or asystematic?
nonsystematic vs unsystematic
Both mean the same, but unsystematic is far more frequent; nonsystematic is a less common variant often used in technical contexts.
nonsystematic vs asystematic
This rare word means 'not relating to a system' rather than 'not done in a system'; it is not a synonym.
Practice
The researcher's notes were so ______ that no one could follow her reasoning.
Choose one answer.
The sentence describes a lack of order, so the adjective 'nonsystematic' fits. 'Systematic' is the opposite; 'systematically' is an adverb and cannot follow 'so'; 'system' is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonsystematic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.