nonreproductive
adjective
non·re·pro·duc·tive
ˌnän-ˌrē-prə-ˈdək-tiv 
1
: not reproducing
nonreproductive sexual activity
especially
: not capable of reproducing
nonreproductive worker bees
2
: not relating to or affecting the reproductive system
nonreproductive organs
nonreproductive effects
Examples of nonreproductive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a typical nest, a single large, reproductive queen ant presides over legions of smaller, nonreproductive female workers who are her daughters.
—
Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2023
Current gene therapy trials — including the sickle cell trial Gray was a part of — involve altering nonreproductive cells in what’s known as somatic gene editing.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 14 Apr. 2023
Several years ago, work led by the evolutionary biologist Daniel Kronauer at Rockefeller University showed that changes in how ants respond to insulin seem to have coaxed them to evolve altruistic colonial societies with reproductive queens and nonreproductive workers.
—Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
In that approach, genetic material is altered only in relevant somatic (nonreproductive) cells, so there is no chance of passing those changes on to future offspring.
—Francis S. Collins, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2019
These super monarchs, which are in a nonreproductive state, are also physically larger.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022
But after many generations of selection, the large clusters evolved a solution: nonreproductive cells which served as points where offspring could break away from the parent cluster.
—Sarah Fecht, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2012
The nonreproductive female was moved to the Rio Grande Zoo on the recommendation of the species survival plan.
—Matt Campbell, kansascity, 16 May 2017
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Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2023
Current gene therapy trials — including the sickle cell trial Gray was a part of — involve altering nonreproductive cells in what’s known as somatic gene editing.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 14 Apr. 2023
Several years ago, work led by the evolutionary biologist Daniel Kronauer at Rockefeller University showed that changes in how ants respond to insulin seem to have coaxed them to evolve altruistic colonial societies with reproductive queens and nonreproductive workers.
—Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
In that approach, genetic material is altered only in relevant somatic (nonreproductive) cells, so there is no chance of passing those changes on to future offspring.
—Francis S. Collins, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2019
These super monarchs, which are in a nonreproductive state, are also physically larger.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022
But after many generations of selection, the large clusters evolved a solution: nonreproductive cells which served as points where offspring could break away from the parent cluster.
—Sarah Fecht, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2012
The nonreproductive female was moved to the Rio Grande Zoo on the recommendation of the species survival plan.
—Matt Campbell, kansascity, 16 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Nonreproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonreproductive. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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