nonfatal

adjective

non·​fa·​tal ˌnän-ˈfā-tᵊl How to pronounce nonfatal (audio)
: not causing death : not fatal
nonfatal infections
a nonfatal wound

Examples of nonfatal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Forty-nine people have been injured in nonfatal shootings, according to preliminary information as of last week; there were 77 during the same period last year. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025 Neither of those tallies includes nonfatal injuries. Eve Chen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025 Police said that reflected a 22 percent year-over-year decrease in homicides and a 19 percent decrease in nonfatal shootings. Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025 This surge in money only appears after fatal school shootings, not after other mass shootings or nonfatal incidents. John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nonfatal

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonfatal was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Nonfatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonfatal. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

Medical Definition

nonfatal

adjective
non·​fa·​tal -ˈfāt-ᵊl How to pronounce nonfatal (audio)
: not fatal
nonfatal infections

More from Merriam-Webster on nonfatal

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