non-African

adjective

non-Af·​ri·​can ˌnän-ˈa-fri-kən How to pronounce non-African (audio)
 also  -ˈä-
: not of, relating to, or characteristic of Africa or its people : not African
non-African families
non-African languages

Examples of non-African in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Both groups appear to have offered non-African humans a number of genetic advantages, including tolerance to colder temperatures and resistance to certain diseases, enabling our species to achieve its current global dominance, stretching to the hottest and coldest portions of Earth. Richard Pallardy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024 Can and should the ICC do more to seek out non-African cases? Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016 Today, between 1 and 4 percent of the DNA in modern humans of non-African descent comes from Neanderthals; African people have about 0.5 percent Neanderthal DNA. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024 The non-African populations show a relatively constant population size followed by strong growth as their ancestors migrated out of Africa. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023 The ripple effects of that interbreeding still exist today: Modern humans of non-African ancestry have between 1 and 4 percent Neanderthal DNA. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Dec. 2023 The language of Madagascar belongs to yet another, non-African category, the Austronesian language family. Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2023 The researchers used the tool on more than 3,000 living individuals from 10 African populations and 40 non-African populations. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023 The Eastern Mediterranean route has traditionally been used by Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan and other non-African migrants who go first to Turkey and then try to reach Greece or other European destinations. Nicole Winfield, ajc, 14 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'non-African.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of non-African was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near non-African

Cite this Entry

“Non-African.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-African. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

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