nonadoptable

English

Etymology

From non- +‎ adoptable.

Adjective

nonadoptable (comparative more nonadoptable, superlative most nonadoptable)

1. Not adoptable; unadoptable.
   • 1961, Harriet Labe Goldberg, Legislative Guides for the Termination of Parental Rights and Responsibilities and the Adoption of Children, page 12:

     There are some case situations, relatively few in number, where the child is known to be nonadoptable, but it would be exceedingly burdensome for the natural parent to have the relationship continued.

   • 1966, William Henry Sheridan, Standards for Juvenile and Family Courts, page 102:

     In the case of the nonadoptable child, there are no adoptive benefits against which the court can weigh the benefits flowing from the parental relationships.

   • 2008, Magda Fahrni, Robert Rutherdale, Creating Postwar Canada, page 271:

     While never exact, “nonadoptability” fused the racial, the social, and the moral to render certain kinds, and colours, of children permanently nonadoptable.