nongrammatical

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

IPA: /nɒŋˈɡræmətɪkəl/

KK: /nɔŋˈɡræmətɪkəl/

adjective

Definition

Not following the rules of grammar; incorrect in terms of grammar.

Example

The sentence was considered nongrammatical because it did not follow standard grammatical rules.

Conversation

I noticed a few nongrammatical sentences in your essay.

Oh really? I thought I proofread it carefully.

Maybe just read it out loud; it helps catch nongrammatical errors.

That's a good idea! I'll give it another try.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

ungrammatical

incorrect

ill-formed

Antonyms

grammatical

correct

well-formed

Root Explanation

Nongrammatical → It is formed from "non-" (meaning not) and "grammatical" (from Greek "grammatikos", meaning relating to letters or grammar). The word "nongrammatical" means not relating to grammar or not conforming to grammatical rules.

Memory Tip

Think of 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'grammatical' relating to 'grammar' — so nongrammatical describes something that does not follow grammar rules.

Visually Confused Words

neogrammatical

monogrammatical