non-Western

adjective

non-West·​ern ˌnän-ˈwe-stərn How to pronounce non-Western (audio)
1
: not being part of the western tradition
non-Western countries
2
: of or relating to non-Western societies
non-Western values

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The unwillingness to pay more intensifies at restaurants serving non-Western food, said Christina Nguyen, the chef and a co-owner of Hai Hai, a Southeast Asian restaurant in Minneapolis with a 20 percent service charge. Priya Krishna, New York Times, 15 May 2023 His compositions often made connections with non-Western styles, and his musical practices drew on Eastern spirituality and meditation. Jon Pareles, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2023 Russian sanctions woke up non-Western nations to the vulnerability of their U.S. dollar reserves. Sanford Mann, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 The Academy has struggled to recognize non-Western cinema at all in that time. Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'non-Western.' 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

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of non-Western was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near non-Western

Cite this Entry

“Non-Western.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-Western. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

non-Western

adjective
non-West·​ern
(ˈ)nän-ˈwes-tərn
1
: not being part of the western tradition
non-Western countries
2
: of or relating to non-Western societies
non-Western values
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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