nonexistent

adjective

non·​ex·​is·​tent ˌnän-ig-ˈzi-stənt How to pronounce nonexistent (audio)
: not in actual or present occurrence : not existing
… historical accounts of the first Thanksgiving are almost nonexistentJasper White
Water was often a luxury, bathrooms were nonexistent, the food was often suspect.Noel Vietmeyer
Although brain size and organization became basically modern at least 100,000 years ago, with the robust Neanderthals, their advances in tool-making were slight, their self-expression through art virtually nonexistent.John Noble Wilford

Examples of nonexistent in a Sentence

our perennially nonexistent computer tech is, once again, not here today
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The brief cited at least nine court decisions that were soon exposed as nonexistent. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025 These scams range from fake investment opportunities to misleading product offers and even the sale of nonexistent puppies. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025 But honest and open discussions about menopause and the years leading up to it — called perimenopause — have, until recently, been nonexistent. Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 13 May 2025 Creating support ecosystems: The women relied on each other when outside support was nonexistent. Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nonexistent

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonexistent was in 1646

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Cite this Entry

“Nonexistent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonexistent. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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