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
New York’s participation in the scholarship program is a nonstarter for the state’s and city’s teachers unions, who contend the program takes students and public dollars away from local public schools.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
The fundraising gimmick is unlikely to sway skeptics who view GameStop’s bid for a company four times its size as a nonstarter.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Giving control of the region’s oldest youth hockey organization, founded in 1964, to a for-profit company was a nonstarter, said Amanda Rose, a board member.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Yet this demand remains a nonstarter for Ukraine and Zelenskyy.
—Lena Surzhko Harned, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
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Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
The fundraising gimmick is unlikely to sway skeptics who view GameStop’s bid for a company four times its size as a nonstarter.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Giving control of the region’s oldest youth hockey organization, founded in 1964, to a for-profit company was a nonstarter, said Amanda Rose, a board member.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Yet this demand remains a nonstarter for Ukraine and Zelenskyy.
—Lena Surzhko Harned, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nonstarter
Cite this Entry
“Nonstarter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonstarter. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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