What does nonindustrial mean?
Nonindustrial is an adjective meaning that something is not connected with industry, especially manufacturing or large-scale production. It can describe an economy, occupation, region, building, or use, as in a nonindustrial economy or a site with nonindustrial purposes. The word is most useful when a speaker wants to distinguish traditional, service-based, agricultural, or otherwise non-factory activity from industrial activity without making a narrower historical claim. “Preindustrial” can sometimes overlap with it, but it specifically refers to a period before modern industrial development, whereas “nonindustrial” is broader and may describe activity that continues alongside industry. The term is formal and tends to appear in economic, historical, urban-planning, and environmental discussion rather than everyday conversation.
adjectiveNot connected with industry, industrial production, or manufacturing. It may describe an activity, economy, region, or use that falls outside the industrial sector.
- Not belonging to or involving industry or industrial production.
- Not organized as an industrial enterprise or activity.
"The community maintained a largely nonindustrial way of life based on farming and small-scale crafts."
"The company converted the old mill into a nonindustrial arts centre."
"Small-scale, nonindustrial businesses play an important role in the local economy."
Nonindustrial is a useful label for describing economies and communities whose livelihoods depend on farming, services, or traditional crafts rather than factories and large-scale production.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nonindustrial come from?
The word is formed in English from the prefix non-, meaning “not,” and the adjective industrial. “Industrial” comes through French from Latin industria, originally associated with diligence or activity, and ultimately from the Latin root induere, “to bring in” or “to lead in.” The prefix and adjective were combined in English during the modern period to describe activity outside the industrial sector.
How nonindustrial is actually used
The term is formal and relatively uncommon. It is often used in economic, historical, planning, and environmental contexts; its meaning can be broader or narrower depending on whether “industry” refers specifically to manufacturing or more broadly to organized production.