nonsignatory
- adjective
- /ˌnɒnˈsaɪnəˌtɔri/
- Formal
- 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
A person who does not sign or accept a written agreement
Not directly involved in a legal case or agreement
Antonyms
- Formal
A person, country, or group that added their name to a paper and must follow its rules
How Signatory
- Formal
- Formal
Surface Forms
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.