negative
/ˈnɛɡ.ə.tɪv/ adjective, noun, verb, interjection
Forms negatives negativing negatived -ve −ve
- adjective Not positive or neutral; bad; undesirable; unfavourable. “The high exchange rate will have a negative effect on our profits.”
- adjective (mathematics) Of a number: less than zero.
- adjective (weather) Less than zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. “I was out in negative weather today.”
- adjective (medicine) Of a test result: not positive, not detected. “negative detection of.”
- adjective (physics) Of electrical charge of an electron and related particles
- adjective (linguistics, logic) Denying a proposition; negating a concept.
- adjective (often used pejoratively) Pessimistic; not tending to see the bright side of things. “I don’t like to hang around him very much because he can be so negative about his petty problems.”
- adjective Of or relating to a photographic image in which the colours of the original, and the relations of left and right, are reversed.
- noun Refusal or withholding of assents; prohibition, veto
- noun An unfavorable point or characteristic.
- noun (law) A right of veto.
- noun (photography) An image in which dark areas represent light ones, and the converse.
- noun (grammar) A word that indicates negation.
- noun (mathematics) A negative quantity.
- noun (weightlifting) A repetition performed with a weight in which the muscle begins at maximum contraction and is slowly extended; a movement performed using only the eccentric phase of muscle movement.
- noun The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
- verb (transitive) To refuse; to veto.
- verb (transitive) To contradict.
- verb (transitive) To disprove.
- verb (transitive) To make ineffective; to neutralize; to negate.
Synonyms
bad undesirable abysmal atrocious awful chronic coarse corny crap crapalicious crappy crummy deityforsaken dire disagreeable dismal dogshit dreadful fifth-rate foul veto blackball disconfirming damaging electronegative negatively charged minus
Antonyms
positive good acceptable agreeable all right amazing as fine as Dick's hatband awesome beatific bene blissful bodacious affirmative neutral
Etymology
From Middle English negative, negatif, from Old French negatif, from Latin negātīvus (“that denies, negative”), from negāre (“to deny”); see negate.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; --opposed to Ant: affirmative.
- adjective Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; a negative morality; negative criticism.
- noun A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a conception or term formed by prefixing the negative particle to one which is positive; an opposite or contradictory term or conception.
- noun A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
Etymology [F. négatif, L. negativus, fr. negare to deny. See Negation.]
Etymology [Cf. F. négative.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “negative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details