alternative

American  

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

noun

• alternatives
  plural

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

Synonym Usage

See choice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• alternatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alternative

First recorded in 1580–90; alternate + -ive

Explanation

When you're facing a fork in the road, you have two possibilities, or alternatives. You could take the left fork and see where it leads, or you could choose the path that goes to the right. Whenever there is an alternative, it involves a choice. A wealthy student has the choice of going to a public school, or the alternative, a private school. Alternative can also refer to a different way of doing things, outside the norm. You might say that a hermit who lives in remote a cave with a pet turtle is living an alternative lifestyle.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alternative alternatives

"Men have an additional free alternative, women do not," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Most of the flights were cancelled on Friday, with the company saying it wanted to help passengers find alternative routes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The problem is simple but urgent: Most financial advisers have limited experience or expertise in analyzing private equity, hedge funds, nontraded real estate, private credit and other alternative assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mamdani offered an amiable leftist alternative to “making the trains run on time,” flexing state power to make life easier and more affordable for average citizens.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

But when US forces arrived on the edge of Prophet’s Town on November 6, 1811, Tenskwatawa saw no alternative but to attack, despite his brother’s instructions.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Only 27% of actively managed U.S. large-cap equity funds beat their benchmark passive fund alternatives in the 12 months ended June 30.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The difficulty and expense of the various alternatives increases “the attractiveness of a resource that’s already operating and producing clean energy around the clock,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Longtime drinks writers Caroline Pardilla and Esther Tseng, who both started covering bars in the early 2000s, remember a pre-COVID nightlife landscape with later hours, more clubs and fewer alternatives competing for young people’s time.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

This pattern could influence shopping decisions, habits, and recurring routines, especially when people continue choosing familiar options despite the availability of equal or better alternatives.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Here are a few other morbidly obese phrases, together with leaner alternatives that often mean the same thing.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• opportunity
• option
• substitute