Negative — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈne-gə-tiv/ neg·a·tive

Meaning & Definition of Negative

Negative (adjective)

  1. marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal; also, marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive
  2. denying a predicate of a subject or a part of a subject
  3. denoting the absence or the contradictory of something

Negative (noun)

  1. a reply that indicates the withholding of assent, refusal
  2. a right of veto
  3. an adverse vote, veto

Negative (verb)

  1. to refuse assent to
  2. to reject by or as if by a vote
  3. to demonstrate the falsity of

Negative (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. marked by opposition or ill will

    "classes that hopefully will change the negative attitude that some students have toward the recent immigrants"

    similar: adversarial, adversary, antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, jaundiced, mortal, unfriendly, unsympathetic
    related: adverse, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, clashing, combative, conflicting, contentious, contrary, disputatious, militant, opposed, pugnacious, quarrelsome, resisting, scrappy, truculent, antisocial, cold, cool, disagreeable, disapproving, distant, frigid, icy, biased, prejudiced, discourteous, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, rude, surly, uncivil, unfavorable, unkind, unmannerly, unpleasant, unsociable, acrimonious, bitter, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, opprobrious, rancorous, spiteful, unloving, vindictive, virulent
    opposite: friendly, hospitable, nonantagonistic, nonhostile, sympathetic
    near: affable, amiable, amicable, civil, companionable, comradely, convivial, cordial, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, gregarious, neighborly, pleasant, sociable, social, warm, affectionate, devoted, kind, kindly, loving, nice, sweet, accepting, agreeable, approving, benign, empathetic, favorable, understanding, warmhearted, welcoming

  2. opposed to one's interests

    "the almost universally negative reaction to the book"

    similar: adverse, counter, disadvantageous, hostile, inimical, prejudicial, unfavorable, unfriendly, unsympathetic, untoward
    related: bad, baleful, baneful, evil, damaging, deleterious, destructive, detrimental, fatal, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, lethal, malignant, murderous, noxious, pernicious, poisonous, ruinous, threatening, troublesome, unhealthy, wounding, dangerous, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, calumnious, defamatory, detractive, offensive, scathing, slanderous, antagonistic, antipathetic, inhospitable, intolerant, uncongenial, uncooperative, competing, conflicting, counteracting, countering, opposing, resistant, resisting
    opposite: advantageous, favorable, friendly, positive, supportive, sympathetic, well-disposed
    near: beneficial, good, helpful, propitious, useful, harmless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, nondestructive, nonfatal, nonlethal, nonthreatening, unresistant, tolerant, understanding, affable, agreeable, amiable, amicable, benign, benignant, complying, congenial, cordial, friendly, hospitable

Negative (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a vote or decision against something

    "in the absence of an unambiguous negative from the commander, we decided to continue on the mission"

    similar: nay, no, non placet
    related: con, blackball, veto, denial, negation, refusal
    opposite: positive, yea, yes
    near: pro, acceptance, approval, grace

  2. something that is as different as possible from something else

    "the desire to control another person is actually the negative of real love"

    similar: antipode, antithesis, contrary, counter, obverse, opposite, reverse
    related: negation, antonym, counterpoint, converse, inverse, mirror image
    near: synonym, analogue, counterpart, carbon copy, copy, duplicate, replica

  3. a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success

    "the main negative of this job is that I have to get up at 4:30 a.m."

    similar: debit, disadvantage, disbenefit, downside, drawback, handicap, incommodity, liability, minus, strike
    related: albatross, millstone, stranglehold, disability, impairment, failing, shortcoming, bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammel
    opposite: advantage, asset, edge, plus
    near: vantage, head start, jump, lead, margin, start, ascendancy, better, command, control, drop, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, upper hand, prerogative, privilege, break, opportunity, aid, assistance, help

Negative (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to reject by or as if by a vote

    "although the rebuttal was very eloquent, the jury negatived it in favor of the prosecution's argument"

    "we promptly negatived the idea of having pizza again for dinner, noting that we had already had it for three nights that week"

    similar: blackball, down, kill, nix, shoot down, veto
    related: decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse, blacklist
    opposite: confirm, ratify
    near: admit, allow, approve, assent (to), pass, sanction, elect, support

  2. to declare not to be true

    "the governor's press secretary promptly negatived the rumor that he was not intending to run for reelection"

    similar: contradict, deny, disaffirm, disallow, disavow, disclaim, disconfirm, disown, gainsay, negate, refute, reject, repudiate
    related: traverse, challenge, confute, disprove, rebut, disagree (with), dispute
    opposite: acknowledge, admit, allow, avow, concede, confirm, own
    near: accept, adopt, embrace, espouse, affirm, announce, assert, aver, claim, declare, maintain, profess, submit, authenticate, corroborate, substantiate, validate, verify

  3. to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to

    "even though I had originally negatived the invitation, Mom thought I should go anyway"

    similar: balk (at), decline, deselect, disapprove, nix, pass, pass up, refuse, reject, reprobate, repudiate, spurn, throw out, throw over, turn down, turn one's back on
    related: blow off, disdain, rebuff, scorn, scout, shoot down, overrule, veto, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, dismiss, ignore, abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from), deny, disavow, disclaim, dispute, gainsay, stick, abjure, forswear, recant, renounce, retract, take back, unsay, withdraw, avoid, bypass, detour, contradict, disown, negate, controvert, disagree (with), disprove, rebut, refute, back down, back off, backtrack, disallow, recall, renege, revoke
    opposite: accept, agree (to), approve
    near: condone, countenance, swallow, tolerate, adopt, embrace, receive, take, welcome, accede, acquiesce, agree, assent, consent, choose, handpick, select, espouse, support

  4. to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective

    "no amount of flattery is likely to negative that overheard insult"

    similar: annul, cancel (out), compensate (for), correct, counteract, counterbalance, counterpoise, make up (for), neutralize, offset
    related: invalidate, negate, neuter, nullify, atone (for), outbalance, outweigh, redeem, redress, relieve, remedy, override, overrule

  5. to be unwilling to grant

    "ultimately, we negatived the request for a personal loan"

    similar: decline, deny, disallow, disapprove, nix, refuse, reject, reprobate, withhold
    related: ban, enjoin, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto, rebuff, repel, spurn, check, constrain, curb, hold, keep, repress, restrain, restrict, balk (at), hinder, impede, obstruct
    opposite: allow, concede, grant, let, OK, permit
    near: afford, furnish, give, provide, supply, authorize, commission, license, accede (to), acquiesce, agree (to), assent (to), consent (to), warrant, accord, sanction, vouchsafe

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Negative

The most common words with a similar meaning to Negative:

adversarial, adversary, antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, jaundiced, mortal, unfriendly, unsympathetic, adverse, counter, disadvantageous, prejudicial, unfavorable, untoward, nay, no, non placet, antipode, antithesis, contrary, obverse, opposite, reverse, debit, disadvantage, disbenefit, downside, drawback, handicap, incommodity, liability, minus, strike, blackball, down, kill, nix

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Negative

Words with the opposite meaning of Negative:

friendly, hospitable, nonantagonistic, nonhostile, sympathetic, advantageous, favorable, positive, supportive, well-disposed, yea, yes, advantage, asset, edge, plus, confirm, ratify, acknowledge, admit, allow, avow, concede, own, accept, agree (to), approve, grant, let, OK

Related Words for Negative

argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, clashing, combative, conflicting, contentious, disputatious, militant, opposed, pugnacious, quarrelsome, resisting, scrappy, truculent, antisocial, cold, cool, disagreeable, disapproving, distant, frigid, icy, biased, prejudiced, discourteous, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impertinent, impolite

Near Antonyms of Negative

affable, amiable, amicable, civil, companionable, comradely, convivial, cordial, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, gregarious, neighborly, pleasant, sociable, social, warm, affectionate, devoted, kind, kindly, loving, nice, sweet, accepting, agreeable, approving, benign, empathetic

Word Forms of Negative

Inflections: negatived, negativing

Derived words: negatively (adverb), negativeness (noun), negativity (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Negative

Middle English negatyff, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French negatif, borrowed from Latin negātīvus "(of legal actions) restraining, (of words) denying," from negātus (past participle of negāre "to say no, deny") + -īvus -ive negate

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Negative

Words & Phrases Containing Negative

negative feedback, negative income tax, negative sign, negative transfer, negative equity, double negative, false negative

Frequently Asked Questions about Negative

What does "Negative" mean?

"Negative" means marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal; also, marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal; also, marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Negative"?

Other words for "Negative" include adversarial, adversary, antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, inhospitable, inimical and jaundiced. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Negative" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Negative"?

There are 276 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Negative". Common alternatives include adversarial, adversary, antagonistic, antipathetic, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, jaundiced, mortal and unfriendly.

What is the opposite of "Negative"?

Antonyms of "Negative" include friendly, hospitable, nonantagonistic, nonhostile, sympathetic, advantageous, favorable and positive. Near antonyms include affable, amiable, amicable and civil.

How do you use "Negative" in a sentence?

Examples of "Negative" in a sentence: "classes that hopefully will change the negative attitude that some students have toward the recent immigrants"; "the almost universally negative reaction to the book"; "in the absence of an unambiguous negative from the commander, we decided to continue on the mission".

Is "Negative" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Negative" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Negative" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Negative" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Negative"?

"Negative" is pronounced /ˈne-gə-tiv/ and divided into syllables as neg·a·tive.