Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

nonbiological

play
adjective non·bi·o·log·i·cal \ˌnän-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\

Definition of nonbiological

  1. :  not biological: such asa :  not relating to, marked by, or derived from life and living processes nonbiological research nonbiological components nonbiological methaneb :  not connected by genetic relationship a nonbiological parent

nonbiologically

play \ˌnän-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb nonbiologically produced materials

See nonbiological defined for English-language learners

Explore M-W

alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions
alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'
image1358596246
Words About Word Play

First Known Use of nonbiological

circa 1871

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up nonbiological? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

inhere

play

to be a fixed element or attribute

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Test your knowledge.

Take the quiz
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game