nonexistent

adjective

non·​ex·​is·​tent ˌnän-ig-ˈzi-stənt How to pronounce nonexistent (audio)
: not in actual or present occurrence : not existing
… historical accounts of the first Thanksgiving are almost nonexistentJasper White
Water was often a luxury, bathrooms were nonexistent, the food was often suspect.Noel Vietmeyer
Although brain size and organization became basically modern at least 100,000 years ago, with the robust Neanderthals, their advances in tool-making were slight, their self-expression through art virtually nonexistent.John Noble Wilford

Examples of nonexistent in a Sentence

our perennially nonexistent computer tech is, once again, not here today
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Back in the 1800s, obesity was almost nonexistent in the United States. Maria Godoy, NPR, 24 July 2025 Yet in my neighborhood, basic services are either inconsistent or nonexistent. Victor Jimenez, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2025 Plus, the leather is like butter, so the break-in period was nonexistent. April Benshosan, Glamour, 14 July 2025 In trying to shorten the pathway from instrument to eardrum, the Dead’s wall had simultaneously created a host of previously nonexistent issues. John Hendrickson, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for nonexistent

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonexistent was in 1646

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Cite this Entry

“Nonexistent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonexistent. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.

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