non-biological

non-biological — adjective

1. used for laundry products that are made without enzymes for cleaning clothes

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

used for laundry products that are made without enzymes for cleaning clothes

Example

Élise buys non-biological washing powder because her son's skin is sensitive.

collocation: non-biological washing powder

Kofi switched to non-biological laundry liquid after the baby got a rash.

collocation: non-biological laundry liquid

Common collocations
  • non-biological detergent
  • non-biological washing powder
  • non-biological laundry liquid
  • non-biological formula
Synonyms
  • non-bio

    the shorter shop-label form, especially common on British packaging

  • enzyme-free

    a more technical label that directly states the product contains no enzymes

Antonyms
  • biological

    used for laundry products that contain enzymes

Grammar Patterns

non-biological + detergent

non-biological + washing powder

be non-biological

Usage Note

Mostly used on British laundry-product labels. In shops and on packaging, the shorter form non-bio is often more common.

Common Mistakes

This detergent is biological, so it has no enzymes.
This detergent is non-biological, so it has no enzymes.
biological detergents contain enzymes, while non-biological ones do not.
These are non-biological clothes.
These clothes were washed with non-biological detergent.
the adjective usually describes the cleaning product, not the clothes.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Non-biological is mainly a British label for laundry detergents that do not contain enzymes. Non-bio means almost the same thing, but it sounds more like packaging or everyday shopping language than careful product description. Enzyme-free is more technical and can be used in ingredient lists or product comparisons when the missing ingredient matters. Hypoallergenic is different: it suggests a product is less likely to irritate skin, but it does not automatically mean the formula is non-biological. A detergent can be non-biological without being marketed as hypoallergenic, and some brands use both labels together. Use non-biological or enzyme-free when you want to stress what is not in the detergent.

non-bioenzyme-freehypoallergenic

Etymology

LatinGreekEnglish

Built in modern English from non-, meaning 'not', and biological. In detergent language, biological came to mean 'containing enzymes', so non-biological developed as the label for washing products made without those cleaning enzymes.