non-native

adjective

non-na·​tive ˌnän-ˈnā-tiv 

variants or nonnative

: not native: such as

a

of a plant or animal : living or growing in a place that is not the location of its natural occurrence

a non-native fish species

… overgrazing causes grasslands to give way to sagebrush, mesquite and non-native exotic grasses, environmentalists contend.

—Doug McInnis

b

: not born or raised in the place where a particular language is spoken

non-native inhabitants

a nonnative speaker of English [=a person who speaks English but whose native language is not English]

non-native noun

or nonnative

plural non-natives or nonnatives

popular among both natives and non-natives

Synonyms of non-native

• foreign

Examples of non-native in a Sentence

nonnative customs that made the recent immigrants stand out in their new country

Recent Examples on the Web

The non-native species is harmless to humans and has been spotted in Idaho for at least 30 years, though scientists still know little about how the creatures move between bodies of water. — Idaho Statesman, 22 July 2026

Rather than growing non-native plants and annuals that offer minimal benefits to fireflies and other pollinators, try adding some native plants to your flower beds to provide more food and shelter for fireflies. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2026

Stranger still is the fact these non-native fish have developed a mysterious ability to vanish for months at a time in Lake Gaston – much to the disappointment of anglers. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026

No side, men or women, has won a FIFA World Cup with a non-native coach but for England, appointing Tuchel did not feel like a gamble. — George Edwards, New York Times, 11 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for non-native

• creative
• locative
• nonnative
• probative
• rotative
• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• affiliative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative