nonalcoholic

nonalcoholic — adjective

  • nonalcoholicpositive
  • more nonalcoholiccomparative
  • most nonalcoholicsuperlative

1. describing a drink that has no alcohol in it, so children and people who do not

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a drink that has no alcohol in it, so children and people who do not drink can have it safely.

Example

Yan ordered a nonalcoholic cocktail because she was driving home later.

nonalcoholic + drink noun

The wedding bar offered three nonalcoholic punches for the younger guests.

attributive use before a plural noun

Common collocations
  • nonalcoholic beer
  • nonalcoholic cocktail
  • nonalcoholic drink
  • nonalcoholic beverage
Synonyms
  • alcohol-free

    everyday label on bottles and menus; means the same

  • soft

    only in 'soft drink'; informal and narrower

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

nonalcoholic + drink noun

Usage Note

Almost always describes a beverage; the noun it modifies is usually a drink word such as 'beer', 'cocktail', 'wine', or 'punch'. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about the disease, not the drink.

Common Mistakes

a nonalcoholic person who never drinks
a teetotal person who never drinks
'nonalcoholic' describes drinks, not people who avoid alcohol.

2. describing an event, place, or way of living where no alcohol is offered or used

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing an event, place, or way of living where no alcohol is offered or used.

Example

The college runs a nonalcoholic party every Friday so freshmen feel welcome.

nonalcoholic + event noun

Nikhil chose a nonalcoholic venue for the staff dinner to suit everyone.

Common collocations
  • nonalcoholic event
  • nonalcoholic venue
  • nonalcoholic lifestyle
Synonyms
  • alcohol-free

    interchangeable for events and venues

  • dry

    informal, especially 'a dry wedding' or 'a dry county'

Grammar Patterns

nonalcoholic + event/place noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually an event, place, or lifestyle rather than a single drink. Distinguish from sense 1, where the word labels the drink itself.

3. in medicine, describing a disease or condition that is not caused by drinking to

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

in medicine, describing a disease or condition that is not caused by drinking too much alcohol.

Example

The doctor explained that Amani had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

nonalcoholic + medical noun

Researchers at the clinic study why nonalcoholic liver damage keeps rising.

Common collocations
  • nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
  • nonalcoholic liver damage
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • alcoholic

    caused by alcohol abuse, as in 'alcoholic hepatitis'

Grammar Patterns

nonalcoholic + medical noun

Usage Note

Only sense that refers to disease rather than drink; appears in fixed medical terms such as 'nonalcoholic fatty liver disease'. Object noun is a condition, not a beverage.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe drinks without alcohol, but they fit different settings. 'Nonalcoholic' is the neutral, slightly formal label seen on menus and product labels, and it works for any drink. 'Alcohol-free' means the same thing and feels equally neutral; bottlers often prefer it because it sounds reassuring. 'Soft' only appears in the fixed phrase 'soft drink', and it points to sweet fizzy drinks like cola rather than to the absence of alcohol in general. 'Virgin' is informal bar slang for a cocktail made without its usual spirit, as in 'a virgin mojito'; you would not write it on a medical form. So Renata's bottled cider is 'nonalcoholic' or 'alcohol-free', a cola is a 'soft drink', and a spirit-free cocktail at a party is a 'virgin' one.

nonalcoholic ↗alcohol-free ↗soft ↗virgin ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • nonalcoholic beer
  • nonalcoholic drink
  • nonalcoholic beverage
  • nonalcoholic cocktail

Adverbs

  • fully nonalcoholic
  • completely nonalcoholic

Phrases

  • a range of nonalcoholic options

Etymology

ArabicMedieval LatinLatinEnglish

This word is built from three parts. The prefix 'non-' comes from Latin and simply means 'not'. 'Alcohol' entered English in the 1500s from Medieval Latin, which had borrowed it from Arabic 'al-kuḥl', a fine powder used as eye make-up; the meaning later shifted to a purified liquid. The ending '-ic' turns a noun into an adjective. Put together, 'nonalcoholic' literally means 'not having to do with alcohol', a sense that has been common since the 1800s.

First known use

1857

1857, in the meaning defined above