negative

[ neg-uh-tiv ]

/ ˈnɛg ə tɪv /

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See synonyms for: negative / negatived / negatives / negativing on Thesaurus.com

adjective

expressing or containing negation or denial: a negative response to the question.

refusing consent, as to a proposal: a negative reply to my request.

expressing refusal to do something: He maintained a negative attitude about cooperating.

prohibitory, as a command or order.

characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes (opposed to positive): a dull, lifeless, negative character.

lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism, cooperativeness, or the like: a man of negative viewpoint.

encouraging or noting an unhealthy or unbalanced outlook toward something, especially toward sex or sexuality (used in combination):The song has a body-negative message.

being without rewards, results, or effectiveness: a search of the premises proved negative.

Mathematics, Physics.

involving or noting subtraction; minus.
measured or proceeding in the direction opposite to that which is considered as positive.

Photography. noting an image in which the brightness values of the subject are reproduced so that the lightest areas are shown as the darkest.

Electricity.

of, relating to, or characterized by negative electricity.
indicating a point in a circuit that has a lower potential than that of another point, the current flowing from the point of higher potential to the point of lower potential.

Medicine/Medical.

(of blood, affected tissue, etc.) failing to indicate the presence of a specified medical condition or substance.
(of a diagnostic test) failing to indicate the presence of the medical condition or substance tested for:Test results for skin cancer were negative.
(of a person) not having a specified medical condition, or not having a specified substance in the body (often used in combination):She tested negative for a staph infection.I'm Rh-negative.

Chemistry. (of an element or group) tending to gain electrons and become negatively charged; acid.

Physiology. responding in a direction away from the stimulus.

of, relating to, or noting the south pole of a magnet.

Logic. (of a proposition) denying the truth of the predicate with regard to the subject.

noun

a negative statement, answer, word, gesture, etc.: The ship signaled back a negative.

a refusal of assent: to answer a request with a negative.

the negative form of statement.

a person or number of persons arguing against a resolution, statement, etc., especially a team upholding the negative side in a formal debate.

a negative quality or characteristic.

disadvantage; drawback: The plan is generally brilliant, but it has one or two negatives.

a negative test result:Her test for the infection was a negative.

Mathematics.

a minus sign.
a negative quantity or symbol.

Photography. a negative image, as on a film, used chiefly for making positives.

Electricity. the negative plate or element in a voltaic cell.

Archaic. a veto, or right of veto: The delegation may exercise its negative.

adverb

(used to indicate a negative response): “You won't come with us?” “Negative.”

verb (used with object), neg·a·tived, neg·a·tiv·ing.

to deny; contradict.

to refute or disprove (something).

to refuse assent or consent to; veto.

to neutralize or counteract.

interjection

(used to indicate disagreement, denial of permission, etc.): Negative, pilot—complete your mission as directed.

OTHER WORDS FOR negative

6 uncooperative, antagonistic, hostile.

See synonyms for negative on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about negative

in the negative, in the form of a negative response, as a refusal, denial, or disagreement; no: The reply, when it finally came, was in the negative.

Origin of negative

1350–1400; <Latin negātīvus denying (see negate, -ive); replacing Middle English negatif (noun and adj.) <Middle French <Latin as above

OTHER WORDS FROM negative

neg·a·tive·ly, adverbneg·a·tive·ness, neg·a·tiv·i·ty, nounnon·neg·a·tiv·i·ty, nounqua·si-neg·a·tive, adjective

qua·si-neg·a·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use negative in a sentence

The good news is there are ways to mitigate the negative effects of isolation partially thanks to technology.
The pandemic problem tech can’t solve: Physical touch|Danielle Abril|August 23, 2020|Fortune
Meanwhile, the platform has a negative net favorability among all age groups older than 24, and -20 points for Americans age 65 and up.
Half of Americans oppose Trump’s potential ban of TikTok|Lance Lambert|August 21, 2020|Fortune
To be sure, around half of the respondents it surveyed had a negative view towards ads on websites.
‘The inevitable maturation of the industry’: Desktop ad blocking is past its peak|Lara O'Reilly|August 20, 2020|Digiday
Criteo is forecasting third-quarter revenue of between $171 million and $173 million, a 20% to 21% decline from last year’s quarter, which includes a $40 million negative coronavirus impact.
‘There is no precedent to this’: How Criteo plans to adapt to Apple’s IDFA privacy update|Lara O'Reilly|July 31, 2020|Digiday

We insist that negative reviews are very important for brand self-reflection.
How to turn your customer feedback into a driving force for your product|Maria Kazakova|June 18, 2020|Search Engine Watch
But when a president seems determined to tell voters that they are wrong and he is right, voters usually respond negatively.
Voters Remind D.C. That the Economy Still Sucks|Stuart Stevens|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the reasons the Vikings are viewed so negatively is that their violence could seem wanton or irrational.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation|William O’Connor|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet the fact of the matter is that none of the women involved will see their careers affected negatively by any of this.
Why the Photo Scandal Won't Hurt Kate Upton's and Jennifer Lawrence's Careers|Nick Gillespie|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Group B: React negatively to any mention of Ramallah and Palestine.
Grindr and Tinder Help the Holy Land Make Love, Not War|Gideon Resnick|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, Muslims worldwide are likely, on the whole, to react negatively to the pronouncement.
ISIS Risks Everything to Declare a Caliphate|J.M. Berger|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The countenances round him turned sinister, but not idly, negatively sinister: they grew dark with purpose.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
The iron is, therefore, as a matter of experiment, part of a negatively charged substance.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2.|Julius Stieglitz
First negatively, it has not been done by any artificial means or legislative hocus-pocus (applause).
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
Negatively, it should not be based upon mere emotion nor upon a desire for wealth or social advantages.
The Complete Club Book for Women|Caroline French Benton
Speaking of him negatively we imply the positive without risking offence.
A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy|Isaac Husik

British Dictionary definitions for negative

negative

/ (ˈnɛɡətɪv) /

adjective

expressing or meaning a refusal or deniala negative answer

lacking positive or affirmative qualities, such as enthusiasm, interest, or optimism

showing or tending towards opposition or resistance

measured in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
having the same magnitude but opposite sense to an equivalent positive quantity

biology indicating movement or growth away from a particular stimulusnegative geotropism

med (of the results of a diagnostic test) indicating absence of the disease or condition for which the test was made

another word for minus (def. 3b), minus (def. 5)

physics

(of an electric charge) having the same polarity as the charge of an electron
(of a body, system, ion, etc) having a negative electric charge; having an excess of electrons
(of a point in an electric circuit) having a lower electrical potential than some other point with an assigned zero potential

short for electronegative

of or relating to a photographic negative

logic (of a categorial proposition) denying the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in some men are irrational; no pigs have wings

astrology of, relating to, or governed by the signs of the zodiac of the earth and water classifications, which are thought to be associated with a receptive passive nature

short for Rh negative

noun

a statement or act of denial, refusal, or negation

a negative person or thing

photog a piece of photographic film or a plate, previously exposed and developed, showing an image that, in black-and-white photography, has a reversal of tones. In colour photography the image is in complementary colours to the subject so that blue sky appears yellow, green grass appears purple, etc

physics a negative object, such as a terminal or a plate in a voltaic cell

a sentence or other linguistic element with a negative meaning, as the English word not

a quantity less than zero or a quantity to be subtracted

logic a negative proposition

archaic the right of veto

in the negative indicating denial or refusal

sentence substitute

(esp in military communications) a signal code word for no 1

verb (tr)

to deny or nullify; negate

to show to be false; disprove

to refuse to consent to or approve ofthe proposal was negatived

Compare positive, affirmative

Derived forms of negative

negatively, adverbnegativeness or negativity, noun

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

Scientific definitions for negative

negative

[ nĕg′ə-tĭv ]

Less than zero.

Having the electric charge or voltage less than zero.

Devoid of evidence of a suspected condition or disease, as a diagnostic test.

negative

OTHER WORDS FOR negative

Idioms about negative

Origin of negative

OTHER WORDS FROM negative

Words related to negative

How to use negative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for negative

Derived forms of negative

Scientific definitions for negative