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

An alternative is to also raise the minimum claiming age, a proposal that had been put forward long ago but is not very popular.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

IHH could explore alternative routes to raise its effective Fortis stake, including a potential share swap involving Gleneagles India, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"We have put all eggs here. We need to develop an alternative border port."

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The city, they argue, can’t afford to wait on alternative programs that require study, money and public buy-in that could take years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

It was almost four o’clock when I reached the car—much too late to try an alternative hike elsewhere.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Sales of alcohol alternatives are surging, as consumers and industry officials seek more transparency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

In May, GoPro announced a review of strategic alternatives, including a possible sale or merger.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Meanwhile, Everton failed to find alternatives to Balogun and revived their move with minutes before the deadline.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

However, producing animal-based foods at the scale required to meet global demand also carries environmental costs, which has driven interest in more sustainable alternatives.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

“Believe it or not, we have a lot of people who come into the coffee shop who are looking for vegan alternatives, especially for baked goods,” Mrs. Hidalgo said.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

Related Words

• opportunity
• option
• substitute