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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of negative
Linh Tat, Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The per capita is one person’s share of either the positive position or negative deficit and can be easily compared and ranked with all the other cities.
—John Moorlach, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 29 Dec. 2025
One final negative is that 32GB of storage means there's less memory available than other options on this page.
—Alexander Cox, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2025
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
But Lowenthal’s efforts to protect young people from the potential negative impacts of social media don’t end there.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
The per capita is one person’s share of either the positive position or negative deficit and can be easily compared and ranked with all the other cities.
—John Moorlach, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
People have started to hone in on the potential negatives associated with AI’s expansion, both from the human perspective and the environmental.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 29 Dec. 2025
One final negative is that 32GB of storage means there's less memory available than other options on this page.
—Alexander Cox, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2025
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
-
For example, if one aircraft that looks like a civilian plane launches a missile, the enemy might have a reason to believe other civilian aircraft are potentially hostile.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
During the Cold War, administrations authorized CIA operations against hostile regimes engaged in subversion and criminal conduct.—
Timothy M. Herbst,
Hartford Courant,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Just remember that Joe Biden’s administration had four years to open the files and disclose any possible news unfavorable to the Republicans.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2026
-
While 48% of the respondents who had heard of Talarico viewed him positively and 18% viewed him negatively, 48% of respondents familiar with Crockett had an unfavorable impression compared with the 40% who viewed her positively.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
To become Florida law, bills need to survive committee hearings, pass votes in the House and Senate and avoid the governor’s veto pen.—
Ryan Ballogg,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Congress attempted to rein in that authority after the Vietnam War with the War Powers Resolution, passed over Republican President Richard Nixon’s veto.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The painter now has a wife who resembles the ethereal woman in appearance though is the opposite of her in every other way.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
-
In fact, quite the opposite; CNN polling found just 26% of American adults view the shooting of Renee Good as appropriate, similar to the sentiment found in surveys by Yahoo-YouGov (27%) and Quinnipiac (35%).—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Patriots have a clear kicking disadvantage in this one.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
In some ways, The Pitt’s breakout first season put it at a disadvantage going into the second.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Government attorneys argued that the raids were entirely lawful and that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit should be dismissed in its entirety.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Since the lawsuit was originally dismissed in September, Minnesota and its Democratic leadership have come under immense scrutiny and arguably lost credibility due to the state's growing welfare fraud scandal.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
He was charged with first-degree murder but denied any involvement.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Squeeze Burger announced Tuesday that its sole remaining brick-and-mortar in Roseville is set to close later this month, after its proposal for a new lease was reportedly denied.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Brooklyn also alleged that his wife was not invited to his father’s 50th birthday party, and that he and his wife’s attempts to privately meet with David Beckham were rejected.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The board has twice recommended that shareholders reject Paramount’s hostile bid in favor of the Netflix transaction.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
