Dictionary

nonconfrontational en · ADJ

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- English confrontation English -al English confrontational English nonconfrontational From non- + confrontational.

Meanings

1. Not confrontational; approaching a dispute indirectly.
   • Just a few days before McNamara died, Politico uncovered a particularly graphic example involving The Post: an invitation to lobbyists to shell out $25,000 to $250,000 to sponsor off-the-record, nonconfrontational "salons" where they could mix with what a promotional flier called "the right people" and "alter the debate." 2009 July 25, Frank Rich, “And That's Not the Way It Is”, in New York Times:
   • Of course,[…] physicians and students need to be educated about how to give feedback in professional and nonconfrontational ways. 2007 April 17, Barron H. Lerner, “In a Hospital Hierarchy, Speaking Up Is Hard to Do”, in New York Times:

Forms

Deriveds

nonconfrontationally