non

non — adjective

1. added to the beginning of a word to form its opposite or to show that a person o

1.形容詞A2
釋義

added to the beginning of a word to form its opposite or to show that a person or thing does not have the expected quality — for example, 'non-smoker' means a person who does not smoke, 'non-fiction' is writing about real events, and 'non-profit' describes an organisation that does not aim to make money

例句

The hotel has both smoking and non-smoking rooms for guests.

non- + [gerund adjective]: non-smoking

Christopher ordered a non-alcoholic drink at the party.

同義詞
  • un-

    more common with adjectives (unhappy, unclear), while non- is preferred for neutral negation without positive/negative connotation

  • in-

    used with Latin-derived adjectives (inactive, invisible); less productive in modern English

  • dis-

    reverses or removes (disagree, disapprove), whereas non- simply negates without implying a prior state

  • -free

    suffix with positive connotation (sugar-free, smoke-free); non- is neutral

文法句型

non- + [adjective]

non- + [noun]

用法筆記

The hyphen after non- is common but not always required; many established compounds are written as a single word (e.g. nonstop, nonfiction). Check a dictionary when unsure, especially for formal writing. This prefix attaches freely to almost any adjective or noun, but note that some words have developed specialised compounds (non-profit, non-stick) where the meaning goes beyond simple negation.

常見錯誤

❌This is a non sense answer.
✅This is a non-sense answer.
💡'non-sense' means 'not making sense'; 'nonsense' is the standard spelling for the noun meaning 'ridiculous talk'.
❌She is a non-smooker.
✅She is a non-smoker.
💡The base word must be spelled correctly; the prefix non- attaches to the unchanged word.
❌This is a non-profitable organisation.
✅This is a non-profit organisation.
💡'non-profit' is the standard compound; 'non-profitable' is rare and may confuse readers.

2. used before an adjective to show that something does not follow the usual or exp

2.形容詞B2
釋義

used before an adjective to show that something does not follow the usual or expected way of doing things — for instance, non-standard spelling is spelling that is not considered correct in formal writing, and non-traditional methods are methods that differ from what has been done in the past

例句

The chef uses non-traditional ingredients such as chocolate in the spicy curry sauce.

The local dialect includes several non-standard grammatical forms that differ from textbook English.

collocation: non-standard + [linguistic term]

同義詞
  • unconventional

    stronger and more positive tone, implying creativity; non-conventional is more neutral

  • alternative

    used as an adjective suggesting a deliberate choice; non-traditional merely states difference

  • irregular

    implies violation of a rule, often with a negative tone; non-standard is more neutral

反義詞

文法句型

non- + [adjective of conformity]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 simply negates a category (non-smoker = a person who does not smoke), while sense 2 describes something that deviates from an established norm (non-standard = not conforming to the standard, suggesting a contrast with what is normal or expected). The object is typically an abstract concept such as a method, approach, spelling, or belief.