nonzero

adjective

non·​ze·​ro ˌnän-ˈzir-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce nonzero (audio)
-ˈzē-(ˌ)rō
1
: being, having, or involving a value other than zero
2
: having phonetic content
nonzero affixes

Examples of nonzero in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On a rational basis, the receiving partner should accept any nonzero offer, since getting some money is always better than getting none at all. Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019 There is a nonzero chance that Trump’s bid to reclaim the throne will come to naught. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 3 Dec. 2022 Your foot on the floor made the chair go from zero angular momentum (or not rotating) to some nonzero value. WIRED, 4 Sep. 2022 Have a minor panic attack upon finding out that Penny, 12, has a nonzero chance of dying. Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Java 15-18 ECDSA doesn’t sanity check that the random x coordinate and signature proof are nonzero; a (0,0) signature validates any message. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 20 Apr. 2022 The main threat from any storms will be damaging winds, along with heavy rain and lightning, but a nonzero tornado chance also is tagging along. Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2022 If that came out to be nonzero, the Smale conjecture would false. Quanta Magazine, 26 Oct. 2021 The large-scale computing application relies on the use of sparse matrix algorithms—matrices in which many elements have a value of zero (versus dense matrices in which many elements have a nonzero value). Russ Banham, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonzero.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonzero was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near nonzero

Cite this Entry

“Nonzero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonzero. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

nonzero

adjective
non·​ze·​ro -ˈzē-rō How to pronounce nonzero (audio)
-ˈzi(ə)r-ō
: being, having, or involving a value other than zero
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!