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Definition of negative
1a : marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal received a negative answer; also : marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive the negative motivation of shame — Garrett Hardinb (1) : denying a predicate (see 1predicate 1a) of a subject or a part of a subject “no A is B” is a negative proposition (2) : denoting the absence or the contradictory of something nontoxic is a negative term (3) : expressing negation negative particles such as no and notc : adverse, unfavorable the reviews were mostly negative
2a : lacking positive qualities; especially : disagreeable a colorless negative personalityb : marked by features of hostility, withdrawal, or pessimism (see pessimism 1) that hinder or oppose constructive treatment or development a negative outlook negative criticismc : promoting a person or cause by criticizing or attacking the competition ran a negative campaign negative advertising
3a (1) : less than zero and opposite in sign to a positive (see 1positive 4e) number that when added to the given number yields zero −2 is a negative number (2) : having more outgo than income : constituting a loss negative cash flow negative worthb : extending or generated in a direction opposite to an arbitrarily chosen regular direction or position negative angle
4a : being, relating to, or charged with electricity of which the electron is the elementary unitb : having more electrons than protons a negative ionc (1) : having lower electric potential (see 1potential 2b) and constituting the part toward which the current (see 2current 3) flows from the external circuit the negative pole (2) : being the electron-emitting electrode (see electrode 2) of an electron tube
5a : not affirming the presence of a condition, substance, or organism suspected to be present; also : having a test result indicating the absence especially of a condition, substance, or organism she is HIV negativeb : directed or moving away from a source of stimulation negative tropismc : less than the pressure of the atmosphere negative pressure
6 : having the light and dark parts in approximately inverse (see 1inverse 1) relation to those of the original photographic subject
7 of a lens : diverging (see diverge 1) light rays and forming a virtual inverted image
negatively
adverbnegativeness
nounPeople Are Reading
Examples of negative in a Sentence
Car exhaust has a negative effect on the environment.
the negative effects of the drug
The feedback about the new product was all negative.
Recent Examples of negative from the Web
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Her sisters got tested first — her older sister tested positive and her younger sister tested negative.
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Media polls show that the German press ran the most negative appraisals of Trump of all global news (98 percent of all coverage was critical).
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But going on three years now, nothing necessarily negative has happened.
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Only two studies could be reproduced; one result was negative, and two studies were ruled inconclusive because of problems with mouse tumor models.
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Can exercise affect future negative as well as positive activities?
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Another home price downturn could quickly trigger defaults as equities turn negative.
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If controversial figures can so easily silence negative press coverage by spending money, the film asks, what does this mean at a time where a notoriously thin-skinned plutocrat is the leader of the free world?
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Mr. Shkreli’s lawyers said the negative press coverage had been intense.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'negative'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of negative
15th century
negative
Definition of negative
1a (1) : a reply that indicates the withholding of assent : refusal (2) archaic : a right of veto (3) obsolete : an adverse vote : vetob : a proposition which denies or contradicts another; especially : the one of a pair of propositions in which negation is expressed
2a : something that is the opposite or negation of something elseb : drawback, liability
3a : an expression (such as the word no) of negation or denialb : a negative number
4 : the side that upholds the contradictory proposition in a debate
5 : a negative photographic image on transparent material used for printing positive pictures; also : the material that carries such an image
6 : a reverse impression taken from a piece of sculpture or ceramics
7 : a negative result (as of a test) a high rate of false negatives; also : a test yielding such a result
in the negative
: with a negative reply : with a reply that means “no” He answered in the negative.
Examples of negative in a Sentence
“No” and “not” are negatives.
Can I have the negatives to make copies of the photos?
Recent Examples of negative from the Web
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Negatives: No engine upgrade offered for those who want more power; fuel economy is less than for the larger standard Rogue with a bigger engine.
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Purvis said that the camera had belonged to Faye, so Dimoff will be mailing the camera, as well as the negatives and prints to him.
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A bulldozer in London nearly brought an end to 30 crates of negatives by the Douglas brothers.
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Economist Kevin Cahill wrote in an Idaho Statesman guest opinion that any prediction of the F-35’s economic impact should take into account negatives, especially public health concerns rising from additional noise and pollution.
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FICO researchers found that most people with judgments and liens — 92 percent — also have other negatives in their credit files.
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The exhibit encompasses more than 100 images, both Lange’s own prints and digital enlargements from original negatives.
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Still, even Minnesota’s top performer had plenty of negatives to pick apart.
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Bernard Byrne, chief executive officer at Allied Irish Banks, discusses the positives and negatives for Ireland in Brexit and progress made on a potential IPO for the company.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'negative'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of negative
1571
negative
Definition of negative
negatived
;negativing
transitive verb
1a : to refuse assent tob : to reject by or as if by a vote
2 : to demonstrate the falsity of
3 : to deny the truth, reality, or validity of
4 : neutralize, counteract
Examples of negative in a Sentence
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
First Known Use of negative
1706
NEGATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
negative
playDefinition of negative for English Language Learners
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: harmful or bad : not wanted
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: thinking about the bad qualities of someone or something : thinking that a bad result will happen : not hopeful or optimistic
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: expressing dislike or disapproval
negative
Definition of negative for English Language Learners
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: something that is harmful or bad
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: a word or statement that means “no” or that expresses a denial or refusal
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: an image on film that is used to make a printed photograph and that has light areas where the photograph will be dark and dark areas where the photograph will be light; also : the film that has such an image
NEGATIVE Defined for Kids
Definition of negative for Students
1 : emphasizing the bad side of a person, situation, or thing a negative attitude Whenever I ask her how she's doing, her reply is negative.
2 : not positive His test results came back negative.
3 : less than zero and shown by a minus sign −2 is a negative number.
4 : being the part toward which the electric current flows from the outside circuit the negative pole of a storage battery
5 : of, being, or relating to electricity of which the electron is the unit and which is produced in a hard rubber rod that has been rubbed with wool a negative charge
6 : having more electrons than protons a negative particle
negatively
adverbnegativity
\ˌne-gə-ˈti-və-tē\ nounWord Root of negative
The Latin word negāre, meaning “to deny” or “to say no,” and its form negātus give us the root neg. Words from the Latin negāre have something to do with saying no. Anything negative, such as a reply to a question, denies something or responds by saying no. To renege is to go back on, or deny, an agreement or promise. Even the last letters of deny, to declare something to be false, come from negāre.
Definition of negative for Students
1 : a part of something which is harmful or bad Consider the negatives of quitting school.
2 : an expression (as the word no) that denies or says the opposite
3 : the side that argues or votes against something
4 : a photographic image on film from which a final picture is made
Medical Dictionary
negative
Medical Definition of negative
1: marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal received a negative answer
2: marked by features (as hostility, withdrawal, or pessimism) that hinder or oppose constructive treatment or development a negative outlook
3a: being, relating to, or charged with electricity of which the electron is the elementary unitb: having more electrons than protons negative ionsc (1): having lower electrical potential and constituting the part toward which the current flows from the external circuit the negative pole (2): being the electron-emitting electrode of an electron tube
4a: not affirming the presence of a condition, substance, or organism suspected to be present; also : having a test result indicating the absence especially of a condition, substance, or organism she is HIV negativeb: directed or moving away from a source of stimulation negative tropism
5: having the light and dark parts in approximately inverse relation to those of the original photographic subject
negatively
adverbnegative
Medical Definition of negative
1: a negative photographic image on transparent material used for printing positive pictures; also : the material that carries such an image
2: a negative result (as of a test); also : a test yielding such a result
Learn More about negative
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for negative Spanish Central: Translation of negative Nglish: Translation of negative for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of negative for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about negative
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