Abstract: A process for producing a voltage-dependent nonlinear resistor that contains zinc oxide as a major component and that also contains a minor oxide component, is improved by the steps of adding an organometallic compound as the minor oxide component to the powder of zinc oxide, mixing the two components, forming the mixture into a shape and sintering the shape. The organometallic compound as the minor oxide component is either a compound in which a hydrocarbon group is bound to a metal atom or a compound in which the hydrogen atom in a carboxyl, hydroxyl, imino group, etc., is replaced by a metal. The method is capable of reducing the scattering of the electrical characteristics of the voltage-dependent nonlinear resistor, which contributes to an improvement of the change of varistor voltage by surge current.