negation

noun

ne·​ga·​tion ni-ˈgā-shən 

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

ni-ˈgā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• contradiction
• denegation
• denial
• disallowance
• disavowal
• disclaimer
• disconfirmation
• rejection
• repudiation

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

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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

Kids Definition

negation

noun

ne·​ga·​tion ni-ˈgā-shən 

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