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
That’s going to be a nonstarter for many people.
—Steve Kovach, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
That is just a flat nonstarter.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The notion of introducing genetic engineering into wild ecosystems would have been considered a nonstarter in most conservation circles a decade ago, according to Owley.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
But following that path is a nonstarter for PepsiCo, Wall Street analysts say.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nonstarter
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Steve Kovach, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2025
That is just a flat nonstarter.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The notion of introducing genetic engineering into wild ecosystems would have been considered a nonstarter in most conservation circles a decade ago, according to Owley.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
But following that path is a nonstarter for PepsiCo, Wall Street analysts say.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Oct. 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 9 Nov. 2025.
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