* Gases at room temperature: The majority of nonmetals exist as gases at standard conditions, such as oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and fluorine.

* Poor conductors of heat and electricity: Nonmetals are generally insulators, meaning they resist the flow of heat and electricity.

* Brittle and non-malleable: Nonmetals tend to be brittle and break easily when subjected to stress. They cannot be hammered into different shapes (malleability).

* Dull in appearance: Nonmetals typically lack the shiny luster characteristic of metals.

* Have low melting and boiling points: Compared to metals, nonmetals generally have lower melting and boiling points.

It's important to note that there are some exceptions to these general characteristics. For example, carbon (in the form of diamond) is an extremely hard and strong nonmetal, while bromine is a liquid nonmetal.