non-native

adjective

non-na·​tive ˌnän-ˈnā-tiv 

variants or nonnative

: not native: such as

a

of a plant or animal : living or growing in a place that is not the location of its natural occurrence

a non-native fish species

… overgrazing causes grasslands to give way to sagebrush, mesquite and non-native exotic grasses, environmentalists contend.

—Doug McInnis

b

: not born or raised in the place where a particular language is spoken

non-native inhabitants

a nonnative speaker of English [=a person who speaks English but whose native language is not English]

non-native noun

or nonnative

plural non-natives or nonnatives

popular among both natives and non-natives

Synonyms of non-native

• foreign

Examples of non-native in a Sentence

nonnative customs that made the recent immigrants stand out in their new country

Recent Examples on the Web

These are all native plants, but there are also non-native options such as paperbark maple (Acer griseum), with coppery bark that peels decoratively. —Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026

Red clover — Another non-native, but useful as a cover crop and fodder for livestock. —Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026

Bachelor's button, also known as cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), is a non-native plant that can become a problem in gardens. —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 4 Mar. 2026

Calla lilies are a non-native, invasive species in California. —Owen Clarke, Outside, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for non-native

• creative
• locative
• nonnative
• probative
• rotative
• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative