nonlethal
adjective
non·le·thal
ˌnän-ˈlē-thəl 
: not lethal : not capable of causing death
a nonlethal gas
nonlethal weapons
a nonlethal dose of venom
Examples of nonlethal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Flaco’s case, the rodenticides in his system could have turned a nonlethal injury into a fatal one.
—
Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Last year, the department adopted a new policy formally recognizing beavers as a keystone species — those that play an outsized role in maintaining the diversity of their ecosystem — and encouraging landowners to try nonlethal methods for living with them before seeking approval to kill them.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
This strategy was employed by SWAT to return fire, retreat from the residence, and deploy nonlethal options.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Tokyo and Seoul have supplied humanitarian assistance and nonlethal military aid, such as helmets and bulletproof vests, and South Korea is emerging as a major arms supplier for European militaries.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
At the time, pro-China commentators were quick to emphasize that the event was nonlethal.
—Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023
More than a dozen officers surrounded him with guns drawn and spent almost an hour trying to convince Kelley to drop the knife, even firing nonlethal bean bags at him, according to a report by state investigators.
—Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 18 Dec. 2023
However, the autopsy also found Kessler had nonlethal injuries to the left side of his face.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023
Within 72 hours, the flare-up in the Marina had transformed from a nonlethal assault into a news story of seemingly global import — another data point about a city in free fall.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Last year, the department adopted a new policy formally recognizing beavers as a keystone species — those that play an outsized role in maintaining the diversity of their ecosystem — and encouraging landowners to try nonlethal methods for living with them before seeking approval to kill them.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
This strategy was employed by SWAT to return fire, retreat from the residence, and deploy nonlethal options.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Tokyo and Seoul have supplied humanitarian assistance and nonlethal military aid, such as helmets and bulletproof vests, and South Korea is emerging as a major arms supplier for European militaries.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
At the time, pro-China commentators were quick to emphasize that the event was nonlethal.
—Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023
More than a dozen officers surrounded him with guns drawn and spent almost an hour trying to convince Kelley to drop the knife, even firing nonlethal bean bags at him, according to a report by state investigators.
—Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 18 Dec. 2023
However, the autopsy also found Kessler had nonlethal injuries to the left side of his face.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023
Within 72 hours, the flare-up in the Marina had transformed from a nonlethal assault into a news story of seemingly global import — another data point about a city in free fall.
—Jesse Barron, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonlethal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Nonlethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlethal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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