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

The alternative that doesn’t involve going short is shifting some of your equity portfolio into sectors of the stock market that nevertheless do well in Septembers of midterm election years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

They’re a liquid alternative asset, basically the closest thing you could get to a sparkly cartoon slot machine, where one lucky pull could mean hundreds of dollars in profit.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Huawei has been working to offer customers an alternative to chips made by U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

But deep down, the desire to be alternative never leaves them.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The Germans had no alternative but to sign.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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

Some families who objected to those policies helped fuel explicitly Christian scouting alternatives.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Are there alternatives that Acme might accept in these circumstances?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

More companies and software developers are turning to open models, which are often cheaper than their closed alternatives, to keep costs down.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Granddaddy had taught me that the important questions could not be answered without the best scholarship you could lay your hands on, along with plenty of time to weigh and measure the alternatives.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• opportunity
• option
• substitute