nonviolent
adjective
non·vi·o·lent
ˌnän-ˈvī-ə-lənt 
: abstaining or free from violence
nonviolently
adverb
Examples of nonviolent in a Sentence
He argued that nonviolent drug offenders should receive shorter sentences.
Recent Examples on the Web
Under the mass crackdown, nonviolent migrants without legal status, DACA recipients, and green card holders have been swept up in the immigration raids.
—
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
The contempt motion mentions how during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the county courts instituted zero-dollar bail to facilitate the release of people arrested on suspicion of nonviolent and largely low-level offenses, to control jail populations and the accompanying infection risk.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2025
Johnson, a grandmother, was a nonviolent offender who spent 21 years in federal prison after being convicted in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 9 Nov. 2025
The nonviolent protest at the Common on Saturday took place after last week’s pro-Palestinian rally in which protesters assaulted Boston Police officers, one of whom suffered a broken nose that required reconstructive surgery.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonviolent
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Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
The contempt motion mentions how during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the county courts instituted zero-dollar bail to facilitate the release of people arrested on suspicion of nonviolent and largely low-level offenses, to control jail populations and the accompanying infection risk.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2025
Johnson, a grandmother, was a nonviolent offender who spent 21 years in federal prison after being convicted in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 9 Nov. 2025
The nonviolent protest at the Common on Saturday took place after last week’s pro-Palestinian rally in which protesters assaulted Boston Police officers, one of whom suffered a broken nose that required reconstructive surgery.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonviolent
Cite this Entry
“Nonviolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonviolent. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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nonviolent
adjective
non·vi·o·lent
(ˈ)nän-ˈvī-ə-lənt
1
: not using violence : peaceful
2
: of, relating to, or marked by nonviolence
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