nonfatal

adjective

non·​fa·​tal ˌnän-ˈfā-tᵊl 

: not causing death : not fatal

nonfatal infections

a nonfatal wound

Examples of nonfatal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Henry credits a major part of that to the department’s new focused effort on solving nonfatal shootings. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025

The 17-year-old was taken to a hospital with nonfatal injuries and was arrested. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 14 Nov. 2025

The Detroit Free Press has documented the fatal falls — plus two nonfatal jumps or falls at the same prisons during the same time period — in a series of articles, using records obtained under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act. —Paul Egan, Freep.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Gary agreed to pay the Kinahans two hundred thousand euros to atone for various misdeeds, including a nonfatal shooting of a Kinahan associate. —Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonfatal

• hiatal
• postnatal
• prenatal
• antenatal
• neonatal
• perinatal
• datal
• fatal

Medical Definition

nonfatal

adjective

non·​fa·​tal -ˈfāt-ᵊl 

: not fatal

nonfatal infections