| English Dictionary |
NEGATIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does negative mean?
• NEGATIVE (noun)
The noun NEGATIVE has 2 senses:
1. a reply of denial
2. a piece of photographic film showing an image with light and shade or colors reversed
Familiarity information: NEGATIVE used as a noun is rare.
• NEGATIVE (adjective)
The adjective NEGATIVE has 9 senses:
1. characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
2. expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
3. having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant
4. not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a specific condition
5. reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
6. less than zero
7. designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions
8. having a negative charge
9. involving disadvantage or harm
Familiarity information: NEGATIVE used as an adjective is familiar.
• NEGATIVE (verb)
The verb NEGATIVE has 1 sense:
1. vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent
Familiarity information: NEGATIVE used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A reply of denial
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Context example:
he answered in the negative
Hypernyms ("negative" is a kind of...):
denial (the act of refusing to comply (as with a request))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "negative"):
double negative (a grammatically substandard but emphatic negative)
Antonym:
affirmative (a reply of affirmation)
Derivation:
negative (vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A piece of photographic film showing an image with light and shade or colors reversed
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("negative" is a kind of...):
film; photographic film (photographic material consisting of a base of celluloid covered with a photographic emulsion; used to make negatives or transparencies)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features
Context example:
a negative reaction to an advertising campaign
Similar:
antagonistic; counter (indicating opposition or resistance)
perverse (marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict)
Also:
destructive (causing destruction or much damage)
pessimistic (expecting the worst possible outcome)
unsupportive (not furnishing support or assistance)
Attribute:
quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)
Antonym:
neutral (possessing no distinctive quality or characteristics)
positive (characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.)
Derivation:
negativity (characterized by habitual skepticism and a disagreeable tendency to deny or oppose or resist suggestions or commands)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
Similar:
dissentient; dissenting; dissident (disagreeing, especially with a majority)
Also:
unfavorable; unfavourable (not encouraging or approving or pleasing)
disinclined (unwilling because of mild dislike or disapproval)
Antonym:
affirmative (affirming or giving assent)
Derivation:
negate (prove negative; show to be false)
negate (deny the truth of)
negativeness (characterized by habitual skepticism and a disagreeable tendency to deny or oppose or resist suggestions or commands)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant
Context example:
delinquents retarded by their negative outlook on life
Similar:
bad (having undesirable or negative qualities)
Derivation:
negativeness (characterized by habitual skepticism and a disagreeable tendency to deny or oppose or resist suggestions or commands)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a specific condition
Synonyms:
disconfirming; negative
Context example:
the HIV test was negative
Similar:
Gram-negative ((of bacteria) being of or relating to a bacterium that does not retain the violet stain used in Gram's method)
Domain category:
medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)
Antonym:
positive (indicating existence or presence of a suspected condition or pathogen)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
Context example:
negative interest rates
Antonym:
positive (reckoned, situated or tending in the direction which naturally or arbitrarily is taken to indicate increase or progress or onward motion)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Less than zero
Context example:
a negative number
Similar:
minus (on the negative side or lower end of a scale)
Domain category:
math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)
Derivation:
negativeness (an amount less than zero)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions
Synonyms:
damaging; negative
Context example:
negative criticism
Similar:
destructive (causing destruction or much damage)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Having a negative charge
Synonyms:
electronegative; negative; negatively charged
Context example:
electrons are negative
Similar:
charged (of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Involving disadvantage or harm
Synonyms:
minus; negative
Context example:
minus (or negative) factors
Similar:
disadvantageous; unfavorable; unfavourable (involving or creating circumstances detrimental to success or effectiveness)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it negatives Past simple: negatived
Past participle: negatived
-ing form: negativing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
Context example:
The President vetoed the bill
Hypernyms (to "negative" is one way to...):
contradict; controvert; oppose (be resistant to)
"Negative" entails doing...:
vote (express a choice or opinion)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "negative"):
defeat; kill; shoot down; vote down; vote out (thwart the passage of)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
negative (a reply of denial)
Context examples
This oligonucleotide may be involved in the negative regulation of gene expression.
(MicroRNA 124, NCI Thesaurus)
One of these negative processes is oxidative damage, which the research team focuses on in its model.
(Study reveals how collapse of protein processes is driver of aging and death, National Science Foundation)
This negative relationship remained statistically significant for samples from both living and dead trees in both regions.
(Amount of carbon stored in forests reduced as climate warms, University of Cambridge)
The combination of prolonged hot spells with poor air quality greatly compounds the negative effects of each and can pose a major risk to human health, according to new research.
(Dangers of Concurrent Heat Waves, Air Pollution, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Because of the cost and potential negative effects, use of the imaging technique must be limited.
(Stretchable wireless sensor could monitor healing of cerebral aneurysms, National Science Foundation)
Positive, negative and (neutral) associations have been reported.
(Eggs No Longer Part of a Healthy Diet?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
“My report, as I expected, is a negative one,” said Holmes.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
If something negative should happen, you will be able to turn the tables on the situation and make it work for you.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
These negative effects became even more negative with time.
(Shrinking habitats have adverse effects on world ecosystems, NSF)
It's one of several recently developed negative emissions techniques that seek to make carbon capture and storage cheaper, safer and more efficient.
(Scientists Turn CO2 into Solid Coal, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Patience is bitter, but it has a sweet fruit." (Afghanistan proverb)
"They whom got shy, died." (Arabic proverb)
"From children and drunks will you hear the truth." (Danish proverb)