1
as in hostile
marked by opposition or ill will
classes that hopefully will change the negative attitude that some students have toward the recent immigrants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
the almost universally negative reaction to the book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in veto
a vote or decision against something
in the absence of an unambiguous negative from the commander, we decided to continue on the mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposite
something that is as different as possible from something else
the desire to control another person is actually the negative of real love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disadvantage
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to dismiss
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deny
to declare not to be true
the governor's press secretary promptly negatived the rumor that he was not intending to run for reelection
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3
as in to reject
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
no amount of flattery is likely to negative that overheard insult
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to refuse
to be unwilling to grant
ultimately, we negatived the request for a personal loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of negative
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 25 Feb. 2026
An X-ray was negative, Shelton said.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
But leaders are adamant that workers shouldn’t get bogged down by the negatives, and leverage the tools to their advantage.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Yueqi Yang, Time, 20 Apr. 2022
Travelers also need to negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying to return to the United States.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for negative
Adjective
Within hours, samples came back negative for toxins, including jet fuel, and the city lifted the advisory.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 25 Feb. 2026
An X-ray was negative, Shelton said.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
An acetate negative of the photo was found in the Tribune’s archives, said Marianne Mather, a Chicago Tribune photo editor.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
But leaders are adamant that workers shouldn’t get bogged down by the negatives, and leverage the tools to their advantage.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
But with sales growth expected to go from triple digits in 2021 to negative this year, shares have tanked to a record low recently.
—Yueqi Yang, Time, 20 Apr. 2022
Travelers also need to negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying to return to the United States.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for negative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negative
Adjective
-
Bushey’s hostile behavior following his sister’s arrival caused Laurie and her mother to take several safety measures out of fear, such as removing knives from the home, changing the locks, and finally pursuing a restraining order against Bushey and taking steps to evict him, Pirrello said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
As events are leaning toward David Ellison and Paramount prevailing in its $108 billion hostile-takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, almost a dozen Republican state attorneys general are insisting that the federal government heavily scrutinize Netflix‘s bid for the iconic studio.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Seedlings sometimes spend too much time in pots if they are started too early, particularly if outdoor temperatures are still unfavorable for delicate plants.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Additionally, eight in 10 Britons had an unfavorable opinion of the prince at that time.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Kelly supports transgender rights, but GOP lawmakers have overridden her vetoes three of the last four years.—
John Hanna,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Lawmakers have additionally been at odds over the veto Evers penned in 2023, which increased the per-pupil revenue limit districts can raise through local property taxes by $325 annually for the next 400 years.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Potato is a little bit of the opposite.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
27 Feb. 2026
-
For businesses like Smeaton’s the opposite is needed—stability.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Gittens also had a further disadvantage.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
There were other theories as to why that might be, including the possibility that there was some evolutionary disadvantage to the Neanderthal X chromosome in humans.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement Then there’s the controversy sparked by celebrity podcasters Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who dismissed Crockett's Senate bid as pointless.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Amorim was dismissed following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on January 5 after a breakdown in relations behind the scenes.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sources did not deny that the Border Patrol, a part of DHS’s agency Customs and Border Protection, responsible for initially arresting people, had released anyone.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
-
He was convicted in July after a six-week trial and made two unsuccessful appeals, denied a new trial only a week ago.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The big man drew a foul inside, sank a baby hook shot, rejected a shot by Suns counterpart Mark Williams and fed a pass to Sam Hauser for a layup.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
-
These improvements came after Americans rejected soft-on-crime and defund-the-police policies, which resulted in a spike in crime over the previous 4 years.—
Gabe Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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