negation

American  

[ni-gey-shuhn] / nɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of denying.

   He shook his head in negation of the charge.

2. a denial.

   a negation of one's former beliefs.

3. something that is without existence; nonentity.

4. the absence or opposite of something that is actual, positive, or affirmative.

   Darkness is the negation of light.

5. a negative statement, idea, concept, doctrine, etc.; a contradiction, refutation, or rebuttal.

   a shameless lie that demands a negation.

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negation British  

/ nɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the opposite or absence of something

2. a negative thing or condition

3. the act or an instance of negating

4. logic

   1. the operator that forms one sentence from another and corresponds to the English not

   2. a sentence so formed. It is usually written –p, ~p, ̄p or ⇁ p , where p is the given sentence, and is false when the given sentence is true, and true when it is false

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Other Word Forms

• negational adjective
• negationist noun
• nonnegation noun
• renegation noun

Etymology

Origin of negation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin negātiōn-, stem of negātiō “denial”; equivalent to negate + -ion

Example Sentences

Singh formally apologised to the nation in 2005 in parliament, saying the violence were "the negation of the concept of nationhood enshrined in our constitution".

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024

And my idea of degrowth is not a negation of technology.

From Salon • May 3, 2024

In a publication, to appear soon, it is argued that both the syntax of subordination and negation systems in Tonya show different patterns and thus diachronic development from the Çaykara variety.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024

“You’re not going to have enough current to light up a child’s lightbulb project at a science fair,” he informed Marlon, who did not take such negation well.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

The sarcastic question “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” reminds us that negation is perfectly easy for people to handle in everyday speech.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• antithesis
• renunciation
• repudiation