negation

noun

ne·​ga·​tion ni-ˈgā-shən How to pronounce negation (audio)
1
a
: the action or logical operation of negating or making negative
b
: a negative statement, judgment, or doctrine
especially : a logical proposition formed by asserting the falsity of a given proposition see Truth Table
2
a
: something that is the absence of something actual : nonentity
b
: something considered the opposite of something regarded as positive
negational adjective

Example Sentences

issued specific negations of all of the charges against her a ruling by the Supreme Court that many regarded as a negation of the basic right of privacy
Recent Examples on the Web And so there’s already talk about how Democrats will apparently need to provide as many as 100 votes to participate in the great negation of their own accomplishments. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 27 May 2023 But the concept of negation still tripped up the chatbots. Max G. Levy, Quanta Magazine, 12 May 2023 But for many Egyptians and historians, that portrayal is at best a misreading, and at worst a negation, of Egyptian history. Vivian Yee, New York Times, 10 May 2023 This is the negation of the continuum hypothesis. Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021 This communal, direct action seemed like a glimpse of the culture of negation’s hard-to-find opposite: invigorating and sometimes uncomfortable, but not a distraction or a suppressant. New York Times, 19 Jan. 2021 Rather, what devalues art is the negation of the artist and community that imbue a work with significance beyond its mere existence. Vivian Lam, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2023 Spore is a world unto itself, where destruction (negation) forms a new, round world. Rebecca Horne, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2012 Additionally, languages spoken by large groups are much more likely to use lexical strategies in place of inflectional morphology to encode evidentiality, negation, aspect, and possession. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2010 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'negation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English negacioun "denial, negative assertion," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French negaciun, borrowed from Latin negātiōn-, negātiō "denial, refusal," from negāre "to deny, say no" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at negate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of negation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near negation

Cite this Entry

“Negation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

negation

noun
ne·​ga·​tion ni-ˈgā-shən How to pronounce negation (audio)
1
a
: the action of negating : denial
b
: a negative statement
2
: something that is the opposite of something positive
death is the negation of life

More from Merriam-Webster on negation

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