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nonstarter

[ non-stahr-ter ]

/ nɒnˈstɑr tər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nonstarter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an issue, plan, etc., that does not get or deserve to get under way.

Origin of nonstarter

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby nonstarter

nonspecific protein, nonspecific urethritis, nonspecular reflection, nonsporting, nonstandard, nonstarter, nonstative, nonsteroidal, nonstick, nonstoichiometric, nonstop

Example sentences from the Web for nonstarter

This plan has the virtue of relative simplicity, but is considered a nonstarter with Republicans.

As the Sequester Looms, the Outlines of a Solution Emerge |John Avlon |February 24, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
End the tax-free status of employer health benefits: So many problems with this, I think we can all agree it's a nonstarter.

After the Fiscal Cliff: What do Democrats Want? |Megan McArdle |January 2, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
I know, at this point, that the first option is a nonstarter.

Who’s Skewed Now? Beaten GOP Wakes Up to the Real America |Andrew Romano |November 8, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
But Mitt Romney for president is a nonstarter, despite headquartering his campaign in the North End of Boston.

No Home-Field Advantage for Mitt Romney |John Avlon |June 13, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Yet even before the document became public, Republicans called it a nonstarter and dead on arrival.

Obama’s 2013 Budget: Perfectly Reasonable, Absolutely Terrible |Daniel Stone |February 13, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for nonstarter

nonstarter

/ (nɒnˈstɑːtə) /

noun

a horse that fails to run in a race for which it has been entered

a person or thing that is useless, has little chance of success, etc