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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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
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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
Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
Water is one of the best inclusions to have in a hardscape plan for its soothing sound that also improves the air quality by releasing negative ions in the air that decreases pollutants.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
The Angels balanced some of those negatives by getting an unexpected breakthrough from outfielder Jo Adell and better health from Trout, who had only played 29 games in 2024.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 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
Using negative space in a manicure gives the illusion of more nail space, which is especially helpful on shorter nails.
—Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 7 Apr. 2026
Water is one of the best inclusions to have in a hardscape plan for its soothing sound that also improves the air quality by releasing negative ions in the air that decreases pollutants.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Hyland and fellow reserve Naz Reid both were plus-26 in the win, while three of Minnesota’s starters finished in the negatives.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
The Angels balanced some of those negatives by getting an unexpected breakthrough from outfielder Jo Adell and better health from Trout, who had only played 29 games in 2024.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 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
-
Callers told police that after a brief and seemingly hostile interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, the individual left school property and was last seen walking onto Ryan Lane from Edwards Avenue.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
From a technical standpoint, the stock appears to be stabilizing at support just as the macro backdrop becomes less hostile to large-cap technology.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The 2021 race was canceled due to COVID, then two successful races were held before the recent run of unfavorable weather.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
YouGov puts his unfavorable tracker at -88%.—
Stu Strumwasser,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While Hungary is a member of the European Union, Orbán has repeatedly attacked the it and clashed with his European counterparts on several issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, using his veto power to try to block the EU's efforts to support Ukraine.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Orbán has wielded unprecedented veto power to block EU decisions on Ukraine aid, sanctions and critical issues, exposing what critics call a design flaw.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But that feeling, the survey found, isn’t bipartisan; Democrats (88%) and independents (66%) say the country is in bad shape, while 62% of Republicans believe the opposite.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Hilton or Bianco would face the opposite in California, where many legislators would refuse to acquiesce to a Republican governor, especially one almost certain to face a swift recall, political experts said.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For decades, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has offered college scholarships to Black students who faced disadvantages from attending underfunded schools in majority-Black districts.—
Julian Mark,
Washington Post,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Any disadvantage there may be in waiting a week or 10 days to get started on the portal is offset, probably outweighed, by the attention and excitement being built for BC basketball by their incoming coach’s presence on national TV, associated with a Final Four team.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But in the motion to dismiss, McCallum said the shooter did not touch the railing.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The deal dismissed charges of first-degree murder, tampering with a human body, burglary and theft from his case.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching attacks on Persian Gulf states after Kuwait's announcement.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Democratic candidate for governor categorically denied inappropriate behavior with any congressional staff.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
A day earlier, Iran rejected a 15-point proposal offered by American negotiators.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
In response to the lawsuit, a government lawyer argued that forcing USCIS to lift the pause on Al Ghoula’s application and others like it could result in swift denials, warning that the applications would probably be rejected because security vetting is incomplete.—
Michal Ruprecht,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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