non-binary

See also: nonbinary

English

A symbol for non-binary gender

Another symbol for non-binary gender: ☄

Alternative forms

• nonbinary

Etymology

non- +‎ binary

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌnɔnˈbaɪ.nɛɹˌi/, /ˌnɔnˈbaɪ.nɚˌi/

Adjective

non-binary (not comparable)

1. Not binary.
   • 1986, James O. Hicks, Information Systems in Business: An Introduction, page 201:

     Thus digital computers operate directly with digits either at the bit level, which is short for binary digit, or at the byte level where a nonbinary digit such as a decimal number or alphabetic character is represented.

   • 2002, Terry L. M. Bartelt, Digital Electronics: An Integrated Laboratory Approach, page 112:

     The most common type of encoder is one that converts a nonbinary number system into an equivalent binary system.

2. Having or pertaining to a gender identity not represented by the gender binary; not exclusively male or female; genderqueer.
   • 2013, Kim Cook, “This thing called gender”, in Up Close and Personal, page 85:

     I'm expected to live in a world where […] forms have no or few options for non-binary people, where finding a GP who understands my non-binary needs and identity is a challenge.

   • 2017, Jo Green, The Trans Partner Handbook: A Guide for When Your Partner Transitions, →ISBN:

     [T]he most commonly used non-binary pronouns are the singular “they/their/theirs”.

Usage notes

• The solid form is more than twice as common as the hyphenated one in the American corpus while the hyphenated one wins by factor 3 or more in the British corpus. GPO manual item 6.29. recommends to spell non- prefixed words without a hyphen unless an overriding consideration applies.

Synonyms

• (outside of the gender binary): genderqueer
• (outside of the gender binary): intergender

Translations

not binary

• Asturian: non binariu
• Catalan: no-binari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非二進制／非二进制 (fēi èrjìnzhì)

• Czech: nebinární
• Dutch: non-binair (nl)
• Esperanto: neduuma
• Finnish: muunsukupuolinen (fi), ei-binäärinen
• French: non-binaire (fr)
• Galician: non-binario m
• Georgian: არაბინარული (arabinaruli)
• German: nichtbinär (de), zwischengeschlechtlich (de)
• Interlingua: non binari
• Irish: neamh-dhénártha
• Italian: non-binario m, non-binaria f
• Polish: niebinarny (pl)
• Portuguese: não-binário m, não-binária f, não-binárie
• Spanish: no binario m, no binaria f, no binarie
• Swedish: icke-binär (sv)
• Welsh: anneuaidd (cy)

outside the gender binary — See also translations at genderqueer

• Catalan: no-binari (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 非二元 (fēièryuán)

• Danish: nonbinær
• Dutch: non-binair (nl), niet-binair, nonbinair
• Esperanto: neduuma
• Finnish: muunsukupuolinen (fi)
• French: non-binaire (fr)
• German: nichtbinär (de), nicht-binär, non-binär (de), divers (de), diversgeschlechtlich (de)
• Interlingua: non binari
• Irish: neamh-dhénártha
• Italian: non-binario
• Japanese: Xジェンダー (ekkusu-jendā)
• Korean: 논바이너리 (nonbaineori)
• Latin: non binarium n
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ikke-binær

  Nynorsk: ikkje-binær

• Polish: niebinarny (pl)
• Portuguese: não-binário m, não-binária f, não-binárie
• Russian: небина́рный (ru) m (nebinárnyj)
• Spanish: no binario m, no binaria f, no binarie
• Swedish: icke-binär (sv)
• Tamil: இருமையின்மை (irumaiyiṉmai)
• Ukrainian: ґендерквірний m (genderkvirnyj), ґендерквірна f (genderkvirna), ґендерквірнуй c (genderkvirnuj), ґендерквір c (genderkvir)
• Vietnamese: phi nhị nguyên giới (非二元界), phi nhị giới (非二界)
• Welsh: anneuaidd (cy)
• Yiddish: ניטצווײיִק‎ (nittsveyik)

See also

• (irrespective of the sex binary): unisex
• (exceptions to the sex binary): intersex

Noun

non-binary (plural non-binaries)

1. (computing) Something which is not a binary; a computer file that is not readable text.
   • 1994 June 7, "Zhar", Don't Post Non-Binaries In alt.binaries.doom, alt.games.doom, Usnet:

     Please don't post non-binaries into alt.binaries.doom. Pretty please.

2. (informal) A non-binary (genderqueer) person.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:non-binary.

Usage notes

• See the usage note at transgender regarding the use of words of this type as nouns.

Synonyms

• (a genderqueer person): enby