not virgin

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Already used, processed, or no longer in its original untouched state.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: not virgin paper; The forest is not virgin. It is common in technical and environmental writing.

   Patterns

   • not virgin paper
   • not virgin land
   • be not virgin

   The office buys not virgin paper to reduce waste.

   This is not virgin forest; it was cut down years ago.

   Not virgin materials are cheaper but less pure.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableinformal

   Having had sexual experience; not a virgin.

   Grammar: For people, use 'not a virgin' rather than 'not virgin': She is not a virgin. The form without 'a' sounds odd in everyday speech.

   Patterns

   • be not a virgin
   • not a virgin

   He said he was not a virgin, but he did not want to talk about it.

   In the survey, many students said they were not a virgin by age twenty.

Common combinations

not virgin paper

The printer uses not virgin paper.

not virgin land

They built on not virgin land near the road.

not virgin forest

Not virgin forest is easier to walk through.

not virgin materials

The factory reuses not virgin materials.

Synonyms and how they differ

used

A general everyday word for things that have already been owned or handled; 'not virgin' is narrower and more formal.

recycled

Often fits paper or plastic that has been processed again; 'not virgin' simply says it is not new.

Opposites

Word family

virgin adjective

In its original, untouched state.

virginity noun

The state of never having had sex.

Commonly confused: not virgin or virginal?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “not virgin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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