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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

nonanswer en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Germanic *ne Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Germanic *ainaz Proto-Germanic *nainaz Proto-West Germanic *nain Old English nān Middle English non ▲ Old English nān Old English nān- Middle English non- English non- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-Indo-European *swer-der. Proto-Germanic *swarō Proto-Germanic *andaswarō Proto-West Germanic *andaswaru Old English andswaru Middle English answere English answer English nonanswer From non- + answer.

Meanings

  1. The lack of an answer.
  2. An answer that is so vague or noncommittal as to be worthless.
    • “Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?” Vance continued. Walz called the response “a damning nonanswer.” 2024 October 2, Tara Suter, “Nate Silver suggests Walz was ‘sanewashing’ Vance”, in The Hill, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nonanswers Number=Plur lexicographic
non-answer alternative lexicographic

Translations (1)

es non respuesta (Translations)