nonviolent
/ˌnän-ˈvī-ə-lənt/ (ame, mw)
nonviolent — adjective
- nonviolentpositive
- more nonviolentcomparative
- most nonviolentsuperlative
1. not involving physical fighting, hitting, or the use of weapons — used especiall
not involving physical fighting, hitting, or the use of weapons — used especially for protests, resistance, or crime that deliberately avoid causing harm to people.
The student protest in Taipei remained nonviolent even when police blocked the main road.
predicative: remained + nonviolent
Amara joined a nonviolent march in Lagos to demand clean drinking water for her neighborhood.
nonviolent + march (attributive)
Kenji was sentenced to two years of community service for a nonviolent crime involving stolen bicycles.
There are many nonviolent ways to oppose unfair laws, including marches and boycotts.
Wei believes that nonviolent methods like hunger strikes can draw public attention to unfair policies.
- peaceful
broader in meaning — can describe any calm situation; nonviolent is specifically about rejecting physical force in protest or conflict
- bloodless
focuses on outcome (no one died) rather than the principled method; less common in political contexts
- passive
sometimes overlaps but implies inaction; nonviolent resistance can involve very active tactics like marches, boycotts, and sit-ins
- violent
direct opposite — involving physical force or fighting
- aggressive
broader opposite — may include verbal hostility but overlaps in meaning
文法句型
nonviolent + noun
be + nonviolent
用法筆記
Most common in discussions of political protest, social movements, and criminal justice. The noun form 'nonviolence' is also frequent (e.g. 'a philosophy of nonviolence'). Avoid using 'nonviolent' to mean generally 'calm' or 'peaceful' in everyday contexts — it specifically refers to the deliberate rejection of physical force.