negate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
negates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
negated,
past participle, past
-
negating
present participle
-
to deny the existence, evidence, or truth of.
an investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences.
-
to nullify or cause to be ineffective.
Progress on the study has been negated by the lack of funds.
verb (used without object)
-
negates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
negated,
past participle, past
-
negating
present participle
verb
-
to make ineffective or void; nullify; invalidate
-
to deny or contradict
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
negaternoun
-
negatornoun
-
renegateverb (used with object)
-
self-negatingadjective
-
unnegatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
negatesimple
-
negatessimple
-
have negatedperfect
-
has negatedperfect
-
am negatingprogressive
-
are negatingprogressive
-
is negatingprogressive
-
have been negatingperfect progressive
-
has been negatingperfect progressive
Past
-
negatedsimple
-
had negatedperfect
-
was negatingprogressive
-
were negatingprogressive
-
had been negatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of negate
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin negātus “denied,” past participle of negāre “to deny, refuse,” from neg-, variant of nec “not”; see neglect
Explanation
If something neutralizes the effect of something else, then you can say the effect is negated. Hanging a disco ball from your living room ceiling negates the sleek modern effect created by the contemporary furniture. If something is proved false or untrue, it has been negated. The discovery of one dinosaur jaw negated the conventional wisdom that all dinosaurs were vegetarians, since the tooth structure proved that guy definitely ate meat. The verb negate can also mean to counteract or counterbalance — so a really strong serve can negate your other weaknesses on the tennis court.
Vocabulary lists containing negate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Speech and Debate
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Warm-up, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Unlike most of Schoenbrun’s diehard fans seem to think, a difference of opinion about art doesn’t negate either person’s feelings.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
On the next play, Jefferson threw the ball into the chest of a receiver at the one-yard line, only for another holding penalty to negate the play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
But it’s not an impossible situation, nor does it negate spending on the yard.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
VPN providers and privacy experts say doing so would mean having to collect user data to carry out checks, and negate privacy as the incentive for using them.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Or, to put it more positively, when a writer wants to negate an unfamiliar proposition, she should unveil the negation in two stages: 1.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
President Emmanuel Macron greeted the pope at the Élysée Palace by saying that French laïcité “in no way negates religion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
But to say that no filmmakers are working in mainstream, high-flying, big-budget action with real artistic value negates the principle of filmmaking as an art form.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Borrowers should avoid asking for an increase if they plan to spend frivolously with the extended line of credit, however, because that negates any attempt to improve their credit-utilization ratio.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Kardashian has been studying to become a lawyer for the last six years, undertaking an apprenticeship that negates the need for a university degree.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
Pushing the not next to the phrase it negates eliminates the scope ambiguity.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Years before “Barbie” stormed movie houses, Elle was the subversive answer to whether a woman’s love of makeup, pastel colors, skirts and heels negated her feminism.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
Balogun appeared to double the lead coming out of the hydration break midway through the opening half, but the goal was negated by an offside call.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
The breakout also negated a bearish evening star, marked by a doji candle on March 26.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
“But further attacks on vessels and warnings that the Strait of Hormuz would effectively remain closed negated any positive impact,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
It’s not that ain’t is used as a standard contraction for negated forms of be, have, and do; no writer is that oblivious.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
But officials tried to sign the agreement at a phase in the design process when the contractor couldn’t estimate key costs, negating the benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
This approach should not be confused with toxic positivity, which is when people only look for the positive while negating any negative emotions.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2025
They seemed left for dead after Clayton Kershaw gave up four runs in the bottom of the first, immediately negating Freeman’s RBI line-drive single in the first.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
Rather than directly address vehicle size, they tout emergent technologies, like pedestrian automatic emergency braking, that can theoretically avoid crashes entirely, negating the risk that hulking vehicles present in a collision.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2024
I apologize for the double negative, but it’s a real double negative of a situation, a bind from which negating the negation is truly the only escape.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
