nonviable

/ˌnän-ˈvī-ə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

nonviable — adjective

  • nonviablepositive
  • more nonviablecomparative
  • most nonviablesuperlative

1. describing a plan, business, or system that has no realistic chance of working w

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describing a plan, business, or system that has no realistic chance of working well or continuing successfully.

例句

After months of losses, the owners closed the restaurant as financially nonviable.

collocation: financially nonviable

The mayor dropped the tunnel plan when engineers called it nonviable.

同義詞
  • unworkable

    close in meaning, but often focuses on practical problems in carrying something out

  • unsustainable

    stresses that something cannot continue for long, especially because of money or resources

  • infeasible

    more formal and often narrower, focusing on whether something can be done at all

反義詞
  • viable

    the standard opposite for a plan, project, or business that can succeed

  • workable

    more informal; suggests something can function well enough in practice

文法句型

[be] + nonviable

nonviable + noun

用法筆記

Often used after financial, political, or technical review to say that something cannot keep working or support itself over time.

常見錯誤

❌The bridge plan is impossible.
✅The bridge plan is nonviable.
💡'impossible' means it cannot be done at all, while 'nonviable' often means it cannot succeed or last in practice.
❌The shop is just unpopular.
✅The shop is nonviable.
💡'unpopular' describes opinion, but 'nonviable' means the business cannot keep operating successfully.

2. describing a cell, embryo, seed, pregnancy, or similar living material that cann

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describing a cell, embryo, seed, pregnancy, or similar living material that cannot stay alive long enough to develop normally.

例句

The doctor explained that the embryo was nonviable and would not grow.

medical use: nonviable embryo

Tests showed the frozen cells were nonviable after the power failure.

同義詞
  • inviable

    a more formal alternative, especially in scientific writing

  • dead

    less precise; it states that life has ended, not just that development cannot continue

反義詞
  • viable

    the usual opposite for cells, embryos, pregnancies, or seeds that can develop normally

  • healthy

    broader and less technical; it focuses on good condition, not specifically on the ability to develop

文法句型

[be] + nonviable

nonviable + noun

用法筆記

Common in medicine and biology. It usually refers to something living that cannot continue developing, rather than to ordinary objects or business plans.

常見錯誤

❌The embryo is dead.
✅The embryo is nonviable.
💡'dead' is stronger, while 'nonviable' can mean it cannot keep developing normally.
❌The seeds are unusable.
✅The seeds are nonviable.
💡'unusable' is general, but 'nonviable' specifically means they cannot grow.