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
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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
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
These new signs to report anything that shows america in a negative light is incredibly weak.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 3 June 2026
John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Their rookie goalie’s confidence provides many more positives than negatives.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 23 May 2026
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 May 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for negative
Adjective
And while Yormark remains a candidate, top UM officials and Yormark have been taken aback by the negative public reaction to him, two sources said.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
These new signs to report anything that shows america in a negative light is incredibly weak.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Noun
And if advanced technology is going to be a net negative for human jobs, governments will have to find ways to keep people gainfully employed … or otherwise compensated.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Their rookie goalie’s confidence provides many more positives than negatives.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 23 May 2026
Verb
Regardless, the outcome of this trial might not impact the ex-couple’s career prospects in all that negative a way, Engelmayer predicted.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 May 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for negative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negative
Adjective
-
Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The agreement was immediately challenged in Kenya’s High Court, with opponents criticizing it for unfavorable terms.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Wasserman Schultz’s overall rating among Democratic voters in the district, with 80% favorable and 13% unfavorable, is a net positive of 67 percentage points.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
In fact, Hilton is envisioning vetoes putting lawmakers on record; the last time a session in Sacramento overrode a veto was in 1979.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 May 2026
-
Polis wrote in his veto letter of House Bill 1355 that preliminary budget forecasts show the state can keep the grant program going for its final year.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
In reality, the opposite is true.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
-
Accountability is not the opposite of kindness.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The conclusion for Gen Z is that they have been handed a giant disadvantage, with no mentoring in the remote-work era to plug the gap.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Former Iowa party chair Scott Brennan argued in his pitch that Republicans in his state are guaranteed to hold their contest first no matter what, putting Democratic candidates across the state at a broad disadvantage.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In December, Rozier requested that the case be dismissed, arguing that the government had overstepped by charging him with fraud.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
-
During sentencing, Baskin dismissed the argument that the devices were used for purposes such as exploding targets and fireworks.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Rivas led a recent charge to deny the renewal of Gabriella Charter School, which uses a substantial portion of the Echo Park campus where the district operates Logan Academy for Global Ecology.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
On Friday, Musk also denied a Bloomberg report that SpaceX valuation was lowered on Friday, reaffirming that the rocket and satellite company will have a blockbuster IPO and comfortably dominate against other historic IPO deals.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The court also rejected the New Orleans City Council’s attempt to hold a special election, which would have given Duncan the option to run again.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
On Tuesday, however, the federation learned that the CAS panel had largely rejected its arguments but has annulled the first sanction’s partial-stadium closure.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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