nonstarter
noun
non·start·er
ˌnän-ˈstär-tər 
1
: one that does not start
2
: someone or something that is not productive or effective
his son has been, in politics a nonstarter—
Anthony Lejeune
Anthony LejeuneExamples of nonstarter in a Sentence
She's the leading scorer among the team's nonstarters.
Recent Examples on the Web
But for him, the debt ceiling increase is a nonstarter.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 1 June 2025
Cleary said the union wants those exceptions to be eliminated, a nonstarter with the city’s bargaining team.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
At the same time, their Republican counterparts have sought to pin blame on Democrats over the stopgap, citing their push for assurances that the administration will spend the money as directed — which GOP leaders have panned as a nonstarter.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 8 Mar. 2025
Moving ahead with a $30,000 SALT deduction cap — which is triple the current $10,000 cap — is sure to spark immediate opposition from members in the SALT Caucus, who called that figure a nonstarter last week.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 12 May 2025
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Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 1 June 2025
Cleary said the union wants those exceptions to be eliminated, a nonstarter with the city’s bargaining team.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
At the same time, their Republican counterparts have sought to pin blame on Democrats over the stopgap, citing their push for assurances that the administration will spend the money as directed — which GOP leaders have panned as a nonstarter.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 8 Mar. 2025
Moving ahead with a $30,000 SALT deduction cap — which is triple the current $10,000 cap — is sure to spark immediate opposition from members in the SALT Caucus, who called that figure a nonstarter last week.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonstarter
Cite this Entry
“Nonstarter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonstarter. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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