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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

Examples of non-Western in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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While Western societies tend to favor clear, direct communication, Haque said non-Western cultures often view such explicitness as disrespectful, meaning people with roots in those cultures learn to strike a delicate balance between appeasing a difficult elder and staying true to oneself. Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025 There were extremely rich philosophical traditions in the non-Western world that your great books classes completely ignore. Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025 Krishna is dedicated to expanding the representation of non-Western foods in America. Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025 At the time, a counter-discourse was also emerging that sought to challenge the Atlanticist hegemony over the historicization of art from the non-Western world. Simon Njami, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for non-Western

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

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Cite this Entry

“Non-Western.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-Western. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

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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