non-starter

/ˌnɒn ˈstɑːtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌnɑːn ˈstɑːrtər/ (ame, ipa)

non-starter — noun

1. a proposal, scheme, or candidate that, from the very first look, plainly cannot

1.名詞C1
釋義

a proposal, scheme, or candidate that, from the very first look, plainly cannot work or succeed — often because the costs, the rules, or basic common sense rule it out before anyone tries to begin.

例句

Tomás knew that asking his strict grandmother for permission to ride a motorbike was a non-starter.

predicative: be a non-starter for an obviously hopeless request

Building a new airport on the small island was a non-starter once the council saw the noise complaints.

for projects rejected on practical grounds

同義詞
  • no-hoper

    British informal; emphasises zero chance of winning, often used of people or horses in a race

  • lost cause

    covers ongoing efforts already failing; non-starter rules something out before it begins

  • dead duck

    informal; tends to describe plans already collapsing, while non-starter signals impossibility upfront

反義詞
  • front-runner

    the leading or most likely candidate to succeed

  • sure thing

    informal; something almost certain to succeed

文法句型

be + a non-starter

用法筆記

Almost always used predicatively with 'be' (it / that / the idea is a non-starter); rarely modifies a noun directly. Subject is typically a proposal, plan, idea, request, or — less often — a person whose role or campaign is doomed from the outset.

常見錯誤

❌The idea has many non-starters.
✅The idea is a non-starter.
💡non-starter labels the whole thing as doomed; it is not a thing the idea contains.
❌She is a non-starter to learn Japanese.
✅Learning Japanese in one month is a non-starter.
💡apply non-starter to the plan or attempt, not to the learner.