nonbinary

adjective

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non·bi·na·ry | \ ˌnän-ˈbī-nə-rē

, -ˌner-ē, -ˌne-rē \

Definition of nonbinary

: not binary: such as

a : not restricted to two things or parts nonbinary voting

b : of, relating to, or being a system of numbers that does not use 2 as its base nonbinary math

c : relating to or being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that is neither entirely male nor entirely female … an effort to create more equality for nonbinary and transgender students across campus.— Phoebe Roe … many people with nonbinary genders use "they" and "their" pronouns …— Lucy Brisbane

Examples of nonbinary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The result is a new annual prize, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which starting in 2022 will award 150,000 Canadian dollars, about $113,000, for a work of fiction published in the previous year by a woman or nonbinary person. — New York Times, "New Literary Prize Will Award Over $100,000 to a Female Novelist," 7 Feb. 2020 The idea of making FL4K nonbinary came from a nonbinary Gearbox game developer. — Washington Post, "Meet the queer, nonbinary, pansexual characters of ‘Borderlands 3’," 13 Sep. 2019 The census bit reintroduces us, for instance, to Penelope’s teenage daughter, Elena (Isabella Gomez), who came out as gay in the show’s first season, and her gender-nonbinary significant other, Syd (Sheridan Pierce). — James Poniewozik, New York Times, "Review: ‘One Day at a Time’ Still Standing and Being Counted," 23 Mar. 2020 On Monday, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. said in an official opinion that agencies must have strict direction from the state legislature to adopt the nonbinary identifier, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "Indiana attorney general says state agencies can't use nonbinary marker on licenses," 11 Mar. 2020 Its services and programs range from clinics to help trans people legally change their names to cultural competency workshops for health care and business professionals working with trans and nonbinary individuals. — NBC News, "Grassroots groups help LGBTQ people survive — and thrive — in Appalachia," 6 Mar. 2020 The word is increasingly used to refer to someone whose gender identity is nonbinary, showing up in email signatures, Twitter bios and conference name tags. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, "What Merriam-Webster's words of the year say about the past decade," 21 Dec. 2019 Used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "Nonbinary Pronoun 'They' Is Merriam-Webster's 2019 Word of the Year," 10 Dec. 2019 Often, trans women have broader chests and shoulders than feminine clothes are made for, and trans men and nonbinary individuals have similar difficulties. — Nicole Blackwood, chicagotribune.com, "Tailor shop Uncommon Closet stitches community together, affirming and catering to queer clientele," 15 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonbinary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.