💊 Not deadly ⏳ Not final 🔤 Grammar symbol

nonterminal

6.6

Not likely to cause death

adjective
/ˌnɒnˈtɜrnəl/

Specialized

: no terminal

She was relieved to learn that her diagnosis was for a nonterminal health issue.

Examples

We will cover living wills, durable power of attorney for medical decisions, do-not-resuscitate orders (DNR), out-of-hospital DNR orders, and special care instructions for nonterminal conditions.

Academic text (1999)
From 1992 to 1996, mean annual medical expenditures (1996 dollars) for persons aged 65 and older were $37,581 during the last year of life versus $7,365 for nonterminal years.

Blog text (3)
He received treatment for his nonterminal illness, allowing him to live a longer life.
Many patients with nonterminal conditions can manage their symptoms effectively with proper care.

Synonyms

nonlethal

vsnonterminal

7 4.2

Not able to cause death

focuses on illnesses unlikely to be terminal rather than inherent harmlessness

nonfatal

vsnonterminal

3 3.9

Not causing a person to die

is about medical conditions unlikely to be terminal or to cause death

Antonyms

terminal

45 7.1

An illness that will cause death and cannot be cured

How Serious

fatal

224 3.7

terminal

45 7.1

nonterminal

Specialized

6.6

benign

35 6.2

mild

107 1.0

Surface Forms

nonterminal positive

Morphology

nonterminal = terminal (transparent) = non + terminal

The meaning is a straightforward negation of 'terminal' in the medical sense ('not terminal'), which learners who know 'terminal (illness)' will understand.

Etymology

Nonterminal comes from the parts non- 'not' and terminal 'end'. In medicine a nonterminal illness is therefore 'not an end', meaning it does not usually cause death.