Meaning & use
nonviolent
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not using physical force or violence, especially as a deliberate political method.
Grammar: Usually describes actions or movements; not used with 'more' or 'most'.
Patterns
- nonviolent protest
- nonviolent resistance
- nonviolent means
The group organized a nonviolent protest outside the government building.
Gandhi is famous for leading a nonviolent movement for independence.
adjectivenot comparable
Not involving or showing violence; peaceful.
Grammar: Can describe people or things that do not use force.
Patterns
- nonviolent person
- nonviolent solution
They tried to find a nonviolent solution to the conflict.
He is known as a nonviolent activist.
Common combinations
- nonviolent protest
- The nonviolent protest attracted thousands of people.
- nonviolent resistance
- Nonviolent resistance can be very powerful.
- nonviolent movement
- The nonviolent movement changed the country's laws.
- nonviolent means
- They achieved their goals through nonviolent means.
Synonyms and how they differ
- peaceful
- Peaceful means calm and without conflict; nonviolent specifically means not using physical force, often in political action.
- passive
- Passive can mean not active or not resisting; nonviolent is about actively avoiding violence.
Opposites
Word family
- nonviolence noun
- The practice of avoiding violence, especially in protests.
Commonly confused: nonviolent or non-violent?
nonviolent vs non-violent
Some people write it with a hyphen; the unhyphenated form 'nonviolent' is also standard.
Practice
The protesters remained ______ even when the police pushed them.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'nonviolent' describes the protesters. 'Nonviolently' is an adverb, 'nonviolence' is a noun, and 'violence' is a noun meaning the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonviolent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.