nonindigenous

adjective

non·​in·​dig·​e·​nous ˌnän-in-ˈdi-jə-nəs How to pronounce nonindigenous (audio)
variants or non-indigenous
1
: not produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment : not indigenous
nonindigenous plant species
nonindigenous music
2
non-Indigenous or less commonly non-indigenous or nonindigenous : of or relating to someone who is not an Indigenous person : not belonging to or descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a place
We were both Ojibwe, raised in non-Indigenous homes. He called me Dukester; I called him Goose.Duke Redbird
When collaborative research projects work well, they establish an equitable relationship between the non-Indigenous researcher and the Indigenous community, recognize the struggles of that community and value its strengths.Deborah McGregor
[Bula] Ghosh said that they hope what they can accomplish from events like these is a building of trust between indigenous and the non-indigenous population …Tanner Wallace-Scribner
For a lot of nonindigenous people, visiting the Grand Canyon is a bucket list item, something you check it off your list. But this website tells stories about the Grand Canyon that are very different from that.Melissa Sevigny

Examples of nonindigenous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Much of Washington Heights is old farmland The area's earliest nonindigenous civilization in the Washington Heights area began in 1835. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2024 The lizard may also have or spread nonindigenous parasites or pathogens to native wildlife. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 Continent-wide risk assessment for the establishment of nonindigenous species in Antarctica. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2012 Approximately 6,500 nonindigenous species are in the U.S., posing risks to native plants, animals, and ecosystems—but 37 of those species are edible. Mallory Arnold, Outside Online, 21 Sep. 2022 Cher learned of Kaavan’s plight in 2016 and hired a legal team to press for his freedom, citing inhumane treatment of a nonindigenous animal. Charles McDermid and Bopha Phorn, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2020 The nearly two million indigenous peoples in Canada are also poorly served by the country’s health care system, with rates of suicide, infant mortality, and chronic disease that are much higher than those of the nonindigenous population. Nathan Whitlock, The New York Review of Books, 3 Nov. 2020 Apart from the local activity of the Urarina, other indigenous groups and some nonindigenous people, the Pastaza-Marañón peatlands remain in nearly pristine condition. Daniel Grossman, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2020 Most of Monday’s victims were nonindigenous Papuan people, the police said. Richard C. Paddock, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonindigenous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonindigenous was in 1812

Dictionary Entries Near nonindigenous

Cite this Entry

“Nonindigenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonindigenous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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