nonconfrontational

adjective

non·​con·​fron·​ta·​tion·​al ˌnän-ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shnəl How to pronounce nonconfrontational (audio)
-shə-nᵊl
: avoiding or being without confrontation
nonconfrontational protesters
a nonconfrontational meeting
LeVake is so profoundly nonconfrontational that he inspires instant trust.Josh Tyrangiel
… offering his advice in private meetings and public testimony in a direct but noninflammatory and nonconfrontational way …Robert S. McNamara
nonconfrontationally adverb
When he or she arrives, discreetly and nonconfrontationally say that the wine you ordered is not to your taste. Matt Kramer

Examples of nonconfrontational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Both admit to being nonconfrontational and shy about their feelings for each other, which led to the miscommunication. Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023 When he was released on Jan. 18, 2013, Spriestersbach remained, in this way, a perfect public-policy problem: lucid enough to live on his own; independent-minded enough to refuse treatment; and, though not without his quirks, decidedly nonconfrontational. New York Times, 26 July 2022 For baby-on-board incidents, a polite and nonconfrontational appeal to the parents can help. Christopher Elliott, Dallas News, 26 May 2023 Or a nonconfrontational way to escape an unhappy pairing? Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for nonconfrontational 

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonconfrontational was in 1968

Dictionary Entries Near nonconfrontational

Cite this Entry

“Nonconfrontational.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonconfrontational. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

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