nonbiodegradable
1
5.2
- adjective
- /ˌnɒnˌbaɪoʊdɪˈɡrædəbl/
:
no biodegradable
- Last I checked, overuse of nonbiodegradable materials (such as the plastic wrap used in tons of organic packaging) also causes cancer (as well as walking across the street with your hand in your pocket).
Examples
-
For the latter, there is much impetus from the avoidance of nonbiodegradable solvents, and from the positive use of biotechnology in environmental cleanup.
Academic text (1997) -
A tombstone cannot be plastic, even if it is nonbiodegradable and lasts forever.
Academic text (2000) -
In fact, this evolution may be occurring for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a significant class of environmental pollutants that have long been thought to be nonbiodegradable.
Academic text (1991) -
The increasing proliferation of plastic, metal, and glass has been exacerbated not only by careless disposal of trash but also by the increased nonbiodegradable garbage being generated by Sherpa villagers in recent years.
Academic text (1993) -
Many products are made of nonbiodegradable plastic, which can harm the environment for hundreds of years.
-
Many countries are implementing recycling programs to reduce nonbiodegradable waste in landfills.
-
The packaging contained nonbiodegradable materials that will not break down in nature.
Synonyms
Cannot rot or decay
Antonyms
- Specialized
15
4.6
Material that living things such as bacteria break down naturally without harming the environment
Compounds
Waste made of things like plastic that do not break down and build up in nature
How Biodegradable
Surface Forms
Morphology
nonbiodegradable = biodegradable (transparent) = non + bio + degrade + able
The word is formed by adding the negative prefix 'non-' to the already transparent adjective 'biodegradable'.
Etymology
The word nonbiodegradable breaks into parts: non- meaning 'not', bio meaning 'life', as in biology, and degrade meaning 'break down'. So nonbiodegradable means 'not able to be broken down by living things such as bacteria', which is why these materials stay in the environment for a long time.