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
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Recent Examples of negative
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The high-stakes contest has triggered an escalation in attacks, with the Mills campaign unveiling a negative ad Tuesday that highlights controversial statements allegedly made by Platner on the online forum Reddit.
—Fin Daniel Gómez, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
The lone negative for UCLA was making just 1 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half.
—ABC News, 7 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
The deadly accidents brought negative attention to Punjabi and Sikh truck drivers.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The high-stakes contest has triggered an escalation in attacks, with the Mills campaign unveiling a negative ad Tuesday that highlights controversial statements allegedly made by Platner on the online forum Reddit.
—Fin Daniel Gómez, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
Those dismal numbers are third worst, trailing only the Democratic Party, which had a 22-point net negative rating, and Iran, with a 53-point net negative.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
The lone negative for UCLA was making just 1 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half.
—ABC News, 7 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
-
Preparing well as a team is the Tommies’ primary order of business until the puck is dropped in what is sure to be a hostile environment for the visitors.—
Dean Spiros,
Twin Cities,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Later that year, local outlet Washington City Paper also reported on allegations of a hostile work environment under Pettigrew.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
El Nino conditions often suppress activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds.—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But the plain facts of the situation are obviously unfavorable to American interests.—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Cleveland's most lasting mark came from his use of the veto pen.—
Jacob Lane The Chicago Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
-
However, the coalition would need at least 34 votes to override a potential mayoral veto of their ordinance, which seeks to halt the policy that servers be paid the city’s full minimum wage on top of tips starting in July 2028.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On the flip side, fast running is pretty much the opposite of slow running.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Sparks and bullets fly when these opposites are partnered to track down a billion-dollar cache of deadly opioids stolen from the vault of a multinational pharmaceutical company that threaten to flood the streets of Chicago.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Despite that disadvantage — Villanova has hit 7-of-14 — the underdog Aggies are still in this game.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Eftimiades also believes that the FBI’s decades-old structure of methodically amassing information can work to its disadvantage.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The owners who were arrested were charged with felonies; however, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg later dismissed the case due to conflicts of interest.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
As part of the plea agreement, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child — another third-degree felony — as well as a class-A misdemeanor charge of child abuse and a class-B misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief were dismissed.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday, Araghchi denied closing the passageway, insisting instead that countries attacking Iran face restrictions, while others were being offered assistance.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
It was denied state subsidies, records show.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the executives from several of the vendors that built out the state’s four-region 911 system encouraged the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management to reject Cal OES’ decision to transition to the statewide design.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Easier, maybe, to imagine Blume rejecting the general proposition of an author biography, which seeks to root a subject’s work in their specific experiences, dislodging them from a supposedly neutral or unmarked position.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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