1
as in vetoes
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposites
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 disadvantages
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 downs
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 denies
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in refuses
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 offsets
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 rejects
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 negatives
David Sparrow, Parents, 10 Mar. 2026
Let’s get the negatives out of the way.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Many works of Georges Méliès are even believed to have been burned as the original negatives, as the nitrate film stock is incredibly fragile and inflammable.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
The potential negatives of using permanent hair dye at home certainly outweigh the benefits.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Ritrovata laboratory, from the original camera and sound negatives provided by Purnima Dutta and the magnetic track preserved by BFI National Archive.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 Mar. 2026
Chela’s hand is present in the overt manipulations with pen, paint, and ink on the negatives, which read like slutty rayographs after her interventions.
—Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Fix it by tightening targeting, adding negatives, separating campaigns by case type, and using dedicated landing pages.
—William Jones, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The Blackhawks were able to squash all those negatives by ending the season with some optimism for the future.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
This helps kids look for the positives in their siblings rather than the negatives.
—David Sparrow, Parents, 10 Mar. 2026
Let’s get the negatives out of the way.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Many works of Georges Méliès are even believed to have been burned as the original negatives, as the nitrate film stock is incredibly fragile and inflammable.
—Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
The potential negatives of using permanent hair dye at home certainly outweigh the benefits.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Ritrovata laboratory, from the original camera and sound negatives provided by Purnima Dutta and the magnetic track preserved by BFI National Archive.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 Mar. 2026
Chela’s hand is present in the overt manipulations with pen, paint, and ink on the negatives, which read like slutty rayographs after her interventions.
—Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Fix it by tightening targeting, adding negatives, separating campaigns by case type, and using dedicated landing pages.
—William Jones, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The Blackhawks were able to squash all those negatives by ending the season with some optimism for the future.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
-
In the 2025 legislative elections, La Libertad Avanza, in alliance with the right-wing Republican Proposal, or PRO, party, consolidated its position as the largest bloc in both chambers and secured the one-third needed to uphold presidential vetoes in Congress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Hobbs, a Democrat who broke the record for vetoes signed last year, is unlikely to sign these bills.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Broncos and Raiders are, at the moment, football opposites.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — ideological opposites — famously attended the opera together.—
Steven Sloan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The subsidies have helped offset some of the structural cost disadvantages that manufacturers face in India, including the lack of a China-like robust supply chain and logistics challenges.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Like nearshoring, each friendshoring destination has its advantages and disadvantages.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The White House denies the comment.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Read more from Damian on the web of connections and where Nikolic, who denies any wrongdoing, has landed.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The story pulls viewers into a world where the past refuses to stay buried and every revelation raises the stakes.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
-
In an interview with TMZ, Hines revealed the actor refuses to work for anything less than $200,000 a day.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
House Republicans want to return $500 million annually to the middle class by expanding an income tax credit that offsets a portion of municipal property tax bills.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The hope is that the large size of the sample offsets concerns about the demographics of respondents.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If your child rejects a new dish, don't give up hope.—
Barrie Gillies,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Many expect a work stoppage — and possibly the cancellation of games for the first time since 1995 — as the MLB owners push for a salary cap and the players union rejects one.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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