nonviolent
adjective
non·vi·o·lent
ˌnän-ˈvī-ə-lənt 
: abstaining or free from violence
nonviolently
adverb
Examples of nonviolent in a Sentence
He argued that nonviolent drug offenders should receive shorter sentences.
Recent Examples on the Web
Last session, a very similar House bill that would’ve helped 32 nonviolent prisoners ― about 0.1% of the state's adult prison population ― died without a hearing.
—
The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Proposition 47, a sweeping referendum approved by 59 percent of California voters in 2014, reclassified most nonviolent crimes involving property or drugs from felonies to misdemeanors.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Another is a biopic of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a radical leader who opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and founded the Hindu nationalist ideology embraced by Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Los Angeles officials — eager to ease the city’s reliance on police officers for handling nonviolent mental health emergencies — have launched a new pilot program that sends unarmed civilians with training to respond to such calls.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
United Farm Workers aims to empower migrant workers through nonviolent tactics to have liveable wages and safe working conditions.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024
One was convicted of a nonviolent drug crime, and the other four were either terminally ill or were physically incapacitated and required 24/7 care.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
To believe that a cease-fire would lead to a nonviolent Palestinian state and Israeli-Saudi normalization is to succumb to delusion.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 30 Mar. 2024
She was released from prison early on Dec. 12, 2020, at a time when California was freeing thousands of nonviolent prisoners to curb the spread of Covid.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Proposition 47, a sweeping referendum approved by 59 percent of California voters in 2014, reclassified most nonviolent crimes involving property or drugs from felonies to misdemeanors.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Another is a biopic of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a radical leader who opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and founded the Hindu nationalist ideology embraced by Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
—Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
Los Angeles officials — eager to ease the city’s reliance on police officers for handling nonviolent mental health emergencies — have launched a new pilot program that sends unarmed civilians with training to respond to such calls.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
United Farm Workers aims to empower migrant workers through nonviolent tactics to have liveable wages and safe working conditions.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024
One was convicted of a nonviolent drug crime, and the other four were either terminally ill or were physically incapacitated and required 24/7 care.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
To believe that a cease-fire would lead to a nonviolent Palestinian state and Israeli-Saudi normalization is to succumb to delusion.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 30 Mar. 2024
She was released from prison early on Dec. 12, 2020, at a time when California was freeing thousands of nonviolent prisoners to curb the spread of Covid.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonviolent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nonviolent
Cite this Entry
“Nonviolent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonviolent. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nonviolent
adjective
non·vi·o·lent
(ˈ)nän-ˈvī-ə-lənt
1
: not using violence : peaceful
2
: of, relating to, or marked by nonviolence
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