non-muslim

IPA/ˌnɒnˈmʊz.lɪm/
IPA/ˌnɑːnˈmʌz.lɪm/

non-muslim — noun

1. someone whose religion is not Islam, or someone who does not follow Islam at all

1.nounB2
Definition

someone whose religion is not Islam, or someone who does not follow Islam at all.

Example

The wedding hall welcomed both Muslims and non-Muslims to share the meal together.

plural countable: 'Muslims and non-Muslims' as parallel groups

Hao is a non-Muslim, but he often joins his neighbours for Eid celebrations in Jakarta.

singular countable: 'a non-Muslim' with indefinite article

Common collocations
  • a non-Muslim
  • Muslims and non-Muslims
  • non-Muslim guests
  • non-Muslim visitors
Synonyms
  • non-believer

    broader; describes someone outside any faith, not specifically Islam

  • outsider

    informal; emphasises social distance from a religious community rather than belief

Antonyms
  • Muslim

    direct opposite; a person who follows Islam

Grammar Patterns

a non-Muslim

non-Muslims

Usage Note

Subject or object is a person or group of people identified by religion. Often appears alongside 'Muslims' in parallel structure to contrast the two groups.

Common Mistakes

He is a non-muslim man.
He is a non-Muslim man.
always capitalise the M because 'Muslim' is a proper adjective derived from a religion.

non-muslim — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three nouns all refer to someone outside the Islamic faith, but they differ sharply in tone and scope. 'Non-Muslim' is the neutral, descriptive choice — it simply tells you the person's religion is not Islam, with no judgement attached. 'Non-believer' is broader: it covers anyone who does not believe in a religion at all, so it is not specific to Islam and is often used by religious people to talk about secular friends or family. 'Infidel' is historically heavy and now sounds insulting — it once appeared in religious arguments to label outsiders as enemies, so modern writers avoid it except when quoting. For everyday speech or news writing, 'non-Muslim' is almost always the right word.

non-Muslim ↗non-believer ↗infidel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • non-Muslim friends
  • non-Muslim guests
  • non-Muslim country
  • non-Muslim community

Phrases

  • Muslims and non-Muslims
  • both Muslim and non-Muslim

Prepositions

  • for non-Muslims
  • to non-Muslims
  • among non-Muslims

Etymology

ArabicLatinEnglish

Formed in English by joining the Latin-derived prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') with 'Muslim', which itself entered English in the early 1600s from Arabic 'muslim', the active participle of 'aslama' meaning 'to submit (to God)'. The compound 'non-Muslim' began appearing in English writing in the nineteenth century as European travellers and scholars wrote about Islamic societies and needed a neutral word for people outside the faith.