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nonsignatory

nonsignatory

7.8
Not having signed an agreement or treaty and so not required to follow it
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒnˈsaɪnəˌtɔri/
  • Formal
translation icon : no firmante
  • Many environmental agreements impose restrictions on nonsignatory countries that do not comply with international standards.
  • nonsignatory countries

Examples

  • Negotiations were complicated by the presence of nonsignatory nations unwilling to participate in the discussions.

  • Permitting this type of sanction would turn the WTO into a tool for coercing nonsignatory countries to join, or at least adhere to, the agreement in question.

    Academic text (2001)
  • For example, the Montreal Protocol blocks trade in ozone-depleting chemicals with nonsignatory countries, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (often referred to by its acronym, CITES) bans trafficking in endangered species.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The organization decided to exclude nonsignatory countries from accessing the benefits of the treaty.

Synonyms

nonsubscriber
vsnonsignatory
6.0

A person who does not sign or accept a written agreement

is about not having signed a particular agreement or treaty
nonparty
vsnonsignatory
  • Jargon
6.8

Not directly involved in a legal case or agreement

is about not having signed a particular agreement or treaty

Antonyms

signatory
  • Formal
16 6.1

A person, country, or group that added their name to a paper and must follow its rules

How Signatory

signatory
  • Formal
16 6.1
nonsignatory
  • Formal
7.8

Surface Forms

nonsignatory positive

Morphology

nonsignatory = signatory (transparent) = non + signatory

The productive negation prefix 'non-' combines straightforwardly with the existing word 'signatory', so 'nonsignatory' directly means 'not a signatory'.

Etymology

Nonsignatory comes from non- 'not' and sign, the same root as signature, meaning 'to write your name'. So to call a country nonsignatory means it has 'not signed' the agreement and is not bound by it.