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
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
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
This can look like letting your grass grow a little longer, swapping out non-native ornamentals for native plants, and keeping gardens as organic as possible.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
Code-switching seamlessly between occasional English, Japanese and French (Mari studied at the Sorbonne, and Okamoto is as impressive as Efira in her non-native tongue), their exchange takes them from the banks of the Seine, back to the staff room of the care home and into the next morning.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
This can be as easy as replacing non-native grass with clover, which requires less water and can stabilize soil nitrogen levels, or mowing your lawn every two weeks instead of every week, which, as urban ecology expert Susannah Lerman found, increases lawn flowers which attract pollinators.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026
Most of these hybrids are derived from crossing Lupinus polyphyllus, a North American native, with other non-native species.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for non-native
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Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
Code-switching seamlessly between occasional English, Japanese and French (Mari studied at the Sorbonne, and Okamoto is as impressive as Efira in her non-native tongue), their exchange takes them from the banks of the Seine, back to the staff room of the care home and into the next morning.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
This can be as easy as replacing non-native grass with clover, which requires less water and can stabilize soil nitrogen levels, or mowing your lawn every two weeks instead of every week, which, as urban ecology expert Susannah Lerman found, increases lawn flowers which attract pollinators.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026
Most of these hybrids are derived from crossing Lupinus polyphyllus, a North American native, with other non-native species.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for non-native
Cite this Entry
“Non-native.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-native. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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