nonreader

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *né

Proto-Germanic *ne

Proto-Indo-European *ís?

Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos

Proto-Germanic *ainaz

Proto-Germanic *nainaz

Proto-West Germanic *nain

Old English nān

Middle English non

▲

Old English nān

Old English nān-

Middle English non-

English non-

English reader

English nonreader

From non- + reader.

Noun

nonreader (plural nonreaders)

1. One who does not read.
   • 1988 December 11, Georgia Cotrell, “A Lezbeen Sam Spade”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 8:

     Wings' handling of the standard-issue Hammettesque equipment is light, fast, and witty enough to allow even inveterate non-readers of mysteries like myself to stay tuned.

   • 2007 February 24, Alan Riding, “Read It? No, but You Can Skim a Few Pages and Fake It”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 January 2024:

     “I am surprised because I hadn’t imagined how guilty nonreaders feel,” Mr. Bayard, 52, said in an interview.

Usage notes

• Probably less pejorative than illiterate, leaving open the question of ability to read.