non-lethal

• nonlethal

From non- + lethal.

non-lethal (not comparable)

1. Not capable of causing death.

   a non-lethal dose

2. Designed to cause incapacitation without causing death.

   Synonym: less-lethal

   Government officials think a universal malodor, or offensive odor, might prove effective as a non-lethal weapon.

non-lethal (plural non-lethals)

1. Any weapon that incapacitates without causing death.

• Weapons designed to incapacitate can still cause death, so the more precise term less-[than-]lethal is sometimes used instead.