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false-negative

[ fawls-neg-uh-tiv ]
/ ˈfɔlsˈnɛg ə tɪv /
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noun Also false negative .
Medicine/Medical.
  1. a test result that is incorrect because the test failed to recognize an existing condition or finding.
  2. a person who receives this test result.
  1. any screening test result that failed to detect a person or thing being sought: Let's hope the new body scanner doesn't give us any false-negatives.
  2. a person or thing that is missed by such a test: Retrain your spam filter if you’re getting too many false-negatives in your inbox.
adjective
pertaining to or being a false-negative.
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Compare false-positive.

Origin of false-negative

First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for false-negative

false negative
noun
a result in a medical test that wrongly indicates the absence of the condition being tested for
a person from whom such a result is obtained
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
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