nonnuclear

adjective non·nu·cle·ar \ ˌnän-ˈnü-klē-ər , -ˈnyü- , nonstandard -kyə-lər \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of nonnuclear

1 : not nuclear: such as

a : being a weapon whose destructive power is not derived from a nuclear reaction

b : not operated by, using, or produced by nuclear energy

c : not using or involving nuclear weapons

2 : not having nuclear weapons

a nonnuclear country

See nonnuclear defined for kids

Recent Examples of nonnuclear from the Web

Let none of the congregation forget that this was the same man who, shortly after taking office, dropped the largest nonnuclear bomb on Afghanistan.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Trump to Make Decision on Syria Soon. It Looks Like We ’Bout to Go to War, Y’all," 9 Apr. 2018
American officials said Europe has recently begun to move on some of the other, nonnuclear, issues of concern in Washington.

— felicia schwartz, WSJ, "U.S.-European Division Clouds Effort to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal," 22 Mar. 2018
No nonnuclear power in the world is nearer to a nuclear capacity than Japan.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Does Trump Want a Nuclear Japan?," 4 Sep. 2017
October 1997President Bill Clinton certifies that China is not exporting nuclear technology to nonnuclear nations.

— richard stone, Science | AAAS, "U.S.-China mission rushes bomb-grade nuclear fuel out of Africa," 31 Aug. 2017
The agreement does not forbid new sanctions on nonnuclear areas.

— laurence norman, WSJ, "EU Urges U.S. to Stick to Iran Nuclear Deal After Trump’s Criticism," 21 July 2017
Under Trump, like under President Barack Obama, the U.S. has continued to sanction Iran for nonnuclear behavior such as ballistic missile activity that isn’t explicitly covered under the nuclear deal.

— josh lederman, The Seattle Times, "US hits Iran with more sanctions in response to space launch," 28 July 2017
Many are concerned that the Trump administration could penalize big international banks that choose to do business in Iran, if they are deemed to violate nonnuclear American sanctions still in force against the country.

— thomas erdbrink, New York Times, "Iranian Voter’s Plea: Stop Saying ‘Death to America’," 15 May 2017
Afghan and U.S. forces carried out the raid that killed Hasib in the same area where the U.S dropped a 22,000-pound MOAB bomb — the largest nonnuclear bomb — on a cave complex used by hundreds of ISIS fighters, killing nearly 100 militants.

— jen kirby, Daily Intelligencer, "Top ISIS Leader in Afghanistan Killed in Raid," 8 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonnuclear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.