Nonagentspecific

Nonagentspecific is an adjective used to describe language, descriptions, or systems that do not attribute action or responsibility to any particular agent. It denotes that the actor is not specified, unknown, or intentionally generalized. The term is used across linguistics, philosophy of action, and information design to distinguish content that centers on events, processes, or states rather than on people or institutions.

In linguistics, nonagentspecific constructions include impersonal sentences, certain passive forms, and weather verbs that lack an expressed agent. For example: "It is raining," "Mistakes were made," or "The data were collected." These examples convey information without naming an agent. In discourse and policy writing, nonagentspecific phrasing can reduce blame or center outcomes and mechanisms rather than actors.

In computing and artificial intelligence, nonagentspecific design describes responses or narratives that do not attribute decisions to a specific agent, enhancing neutrality or safety. In ethics or law, nonagentspecific obligations or rights apply to unspecified actors or to groups rather than to named individuals.

See also: impersonal construction, passive voice, deagentivation, agentivity, neutrality in writing.