Showing results for negative sign. Search instead for negative-stain.

negative sign

British

noun

the symbol (–) used to indicate a negative quantity or a subtraction; minus sign

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So if people don't seem engaged in what you're saying, there's a chance you'll pick up on that negative sign.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2023

Analysts widely consider a range between 50% and 60% as optimal for banks, and see rising efficiency ratios as a negative sign.

From Reuters • Sep. 13, 2022

If the team is favored — it has a negative number — calculate the decimal by dividing 100 by the negative number, ignoring the negative sign.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2022

Although this is welcome news for buyers looking for an entry-level house, it could prove a negative sign for the economy as a whole.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2019

Anxiety may then be called also a libido with a negative sign.

From Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts by Jelliffe, Smith Ely

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023