alternative

American  

[awl-tur-nuh-tiv, al-] / ɔlˈtɜr nə tɪv, æl- /

noun

1. a choice limited to one of two or more possibilities, as of things, propositions, or courses of action, the selection of which precludes any other possibility.

   You have the alternative of riding or walking.

   Synonyms:

   selection, option

2. one of the things, propositions, or courses of action that can be chosen.

   The alternative to riding is walking.

3. a possible or remaining course or choice.

   There was no alternative but to walk.

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adjective

1. affording a choice of two or more things, propositions, or courses of action.

2. (of two things, propositions, or courses) mutually exclusive so that if one is chosen the other must be rejected.

   The alternative possibilities are neutrality and war.

3. employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment.

   an alternative newspaper; alternative lifestyles.

4. Logic. (of a proposition) asserting two or more choices, at least one of which is true.

alternative British  

/ ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv /

noun

1. a possibility of choice, esp between two things, courses of action, etc

2. either of such choices

   we took the alternative of walking

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adjective

1. presenting a choice, esp between two possibilities only

2. (of two things) mutually exclusive

3. denoting a lifestyle, culture, art form, etc, regarded by its adherents as preferable to that of contemporary society because it is less conventional, materialistic, or institutionalized, and, often, more in harmony with nature

4. logic another word for disjunctive

Related Words

See choice.

Other Word Forms

• alternatively adverb
• alternativeness noun
• alternativity noun
• quasi-alternative adjective

Etymology

Origin of alternative

First recorded in 1580–90; alternate + -ive

Example Sentences

Less-lethal munitions such as beanbag rounds are designed to spread the force of impact over a larger area, without penetrating the skin, offering officers an alternative to bullets when defending against threats.

From Los Angeles Times

However, it also noted some resentment from young people who complained there were insufficient youth services and alternative places to gather.

From BBC

Accenture jumped 8.3% after striking a multiyear deal with French AI startup Mistral to help enterprise clients deploy artificial intelligence, with a focus on European companies seeking alternatives to U.S.-based providers.

From The Wall Street Journal

From the day I regained consciousness, I realized I had only three alternatives: death, depression or perseverance.

From The Wall Street Journal

So far in 2026, a number of index funds that follow alternative strategies to track subsets of the S&P 500 or change the index’s weighting have performed quite well.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• opportunity
• option
• substitute