Word.ws English Dictionary

non-binary

UK/ˌnɒnˈbaɪ.nɛɹ.ɪ//nɔnˈbaɪ.nɛɹ.i/

non-binary adjective: not binary.

non-binary: not binary
Image: Kye Rowan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

non-binary (not comparable)

  1. Not binary.
    • Thus digital computers operate directly with digits either at the bit level, which is short for binary digit, or at the byte level where a nonbinary digit such as a decimal number or alphabetic character is represented.1986, James O. Hicks, Information Systems in Business: An Introduction, page 201
    • The most common type of encoder is one that converts a nonbinary number system into an equivalent binary system.2002, Terry L. M. Bartelt, Digital Electronics: An Integrated Laboratory Approach, page 112
  2. Having or pertaining to a gender identity not represented by the gender binary; not exclusively male or female; genderqueer.
    • I'm expected to live in a world where […] forms have no or few options for non-binary people, where finding a GP who understands my non-binary needs and identity is a challenge.2013, Kim Cook, “This thing called gender”, in Up Close and Personal, page 85
    • [T]he most commonly used non-binary pronouns are the singular “they/their/theirs”.2017, Jo Green, The Trans Partner Handbook: A Guide for When Your Partner Transitions, →ISBN

Noun

non-binary (plural non-binaries)

  1. Something which is not a binary; a computer file that is not readable text.
    • Please don't post non-binaries into alt.binaries.doom. Pretty please.1994 June 7, "Zhar", Don't Post Non-Binaries In alt.binaries.doom, alt.games.doom, Usnet
  2. (informal) A non-binary (genderqueer) person.
    • For quotations using this term, see Citations:non-binary.
    Synonyms:
    enby, NB, they/them

non-binary meaning in Tamil, Arabic, Indonesian and Vietnamese

non-binary in Tamil

outside the gender binary — see also genderqueer
இருமையின்மை irumaiyiṉmai

non-binary in Arabic

outside the gender binary — see also genderqueer
لَاثُنَائِيّ lāṯunāʔiyy

non-binary in Indonesian

outside the gender binary — see also genderqueer
nonbiner, non-biner

non-binary in Vietnamese

outside the gender binary — see also genderqueer
phi nhị nguyên giới, phi nhị giới

Synonyms of non-binary

Antonyms

Forms of non-binary

Adjective
alternative formnonbinary
Noun
pluralnon-binaries

Origin of non-binary

From non- + binary.

Words formed from non-binary

Phrases with non-binary

Questions about non-binary

What does non-binary mean?
Non-binary means not binary.
What is non-binary in Tamil?
Non-binary in Tamil is இருமையின்மை (irumaiyiṉmai). See Non-binary meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is non-binary?
Non-binary can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce non-binary?
Non-binary is pronounced /nɔnˈbaɪ.nɛɹ.i/ (US).

Words near non-binary in the dictionary

  1. non-Bessemer
  2. non-biased
  3. non-binaries
  4. non-binariness
  5. non-binarity
  6. non-binary
  7. non-binding
  8. non-biney
  9. non-bio
  10. non-biodegradability
  11. non-biological

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: non-binary (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-non-binary.oga.

Cite this entry: “non-binary.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/non-binary. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.