nonviolently

IPA/nˌɒnvˈaɪələntli/
IPA/nˌɑːnvˈaɪələntli/

nonviolently — adverb

1. by refusing to hit, attack, or use force, even during conflict or protest

1.adverbC1
Definition

by refusing to hit, attack, or use force, even during conflict or protest

Example

The students protested nonviolently outside the court for six straight days.

protest + nonviolently in public action

Roya urged the crowd to resist nonviolently when police blocked the gate.

resist nonviolently under pressure

Common collocations
  • act nonviolently
  • protest nonviolently
  • resist nonviolently
  • respond nonviolently
Synonyms
  • peacefully

    more common and broader; it can simply mean without trouble

  • peaceably

    formal and less common; often seen in legal or historical writing

Antonyms
  • violently

    with physical force or attack

  • aggressively

    in a hostile way that may still threaten force

  • forcefully

    with strong pressure; it does not imply a refusal of violence

Grammar Patterns

verb + nonviolently

Usage Note

Common in writing about protest, resistance, and political change. More formal than peacefully, and it focuses specifically on rejecting physical force.

Common Mistakes

The children waited nonviolently for the bus.
The children waited quietly for the bus.
nonviolently is used when force is possible or being rejected, not for ordinary calm waiting.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Nonviolently is the most specific of these words because it directly states that no physical force is used. Peacefully is broader: a march can end peacefully simply because no trouble happened, even if nobody was making a deliberate moral choice about violence. Peaceably is the closest formal synonym, but it is less common in everyday modern English and appears more often in legal or historical writing. Calmly describes a person's manner or voice, not a political method. Gently focuses on soft touch or careful movement. In reports about protest, resistance, or social change, nonviolently is the clearest choice when the refusal of violence is the main point.

peacefully ↗peaceablycalmly ↗gently ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • act nonviolently
  • protest nonviolently
  • resist nonviolently
  • respond nonviolently

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Nonviolently is built from violent, which comes from the Latin word violentus, together with the negative prefix non- and the adverb ending -ly. In modern English it is especially used for protest, resistance, and social action carried out without physical force.