nonrepresentative
|non-rep-re-sen-ta-tive|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv/
not serving as a representative; not typical
Etymology
'nonrepresentative' originates from English, combining the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non') meaning 'not' and 'representative', which ultimately comes from Latin 'repraesentare' where 're-' meant 'again' and 'praesentare' meant 'to present'.
'representative' entered English via Middle French (e.g. 'representatif') and Middle English as 'representative'; in Modern English the negative prefix 'non-' was attached to form 'nonrepresentative' to indicate the absence of representation.
Initially, components meant 'not' + 'to present again' (literal parts); over time the compound came to mean simply 'not serving as or typical of a representation', with uses in general, legal, and statistical senses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not typical or characteristic; not serving as a usual or accurate example of a group.
The sample was nonrepresentative of the population, so the findings cannot be generalized.
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Adjective 2
not acting in a representative capacity; not authorized or chosen to represent others.
He attended the meeting as a nonrepresentative observer rather than as an official delegate.
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Adjective 3
not reflecting the characteristics of the whole (often used in statistical or methodological contexts).
Nonrepresentative polling can give a misleading picture of voter intentions.
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Last updated: 2025/09/02 23:41