non-family

non-family — adjective

1. describing someone who does not belong to a specific family group — for example,

1.形容詞B1
釋義

describing someone who does not belong to a specific family group — for example, a guest who is not a relative attending a family celebration.

例句

Yara invited several non-family friends to her birthday dinner at the family home.

attributive use before plural noun (friends)

The wedding planner asked for a count of non-family guests to arrange the seating.

common collocation: non-family guests

同義詞
  • unrelated

    broader term — can describe anyone not connected by blood or marriage

  • non-relative

    more specific than 'unrelated'; used mainly in legal or formal contexts

反義詞
  • family

    the direct opposite in attributive use (e.g. family members vs non-family members)

  • related

    opposite in meaning when describing people connected by blood or marriage

文法句型

non-family + [noun]

用法筆記

Almost always used attributively before a noun. The phrase 'non-family member' is very common in legal, policy, and event-planning contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He sat at the table with his family and non-family.
✅He sat at the table with his family and non-family guests.
💡'non-family' is rarely used alone as a noun; it normally modifies a following noun.
❌The party was non-family.
✅The party was for family and non-family friends.
💡'non-family' is not typically used predicatively.

2. describing something that is not owned, run, or designed for a family — such as

2.形容詞B1
釋義

describing something that is not owned, run, or designed for a family — such as a business with outside investors, or housing for single occupants.

例句

After years of family management, the factory was sold to a non-family corporation.

collocation: non-family corporation

The new block has family flats and non-family studio units for single workers.

contrastive use: non-family + housing type

同義詞
  • non-familial

    formal synonym; less common in everyday speech

  • corporate

    specific to business contexts; implies institutional rather than family ownership

反義詞
  • family-owned

    direct opposite for businesses and properties

  • family-run

    direct opposite for businesses and organisations

文法句型

non-family + [noun]

用法筆記

Used attributively before nouns describing businesses, properties, organisations, or policies. Frequently contrasts with 'family' in the same sentence (e.g. 'family business' vs 'non-family investors').

常見錯誤

❌The hotel is non-family, so children are not allowed.
✅The hotel is an adults-only property, not a family-oriented one.
💡'non-family' does not mean 'not family-friendly' or 'adults-only'.