negatives 1 of 2

plural of negative
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

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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

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3

negatives

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of negative
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

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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 negatives
Noun
Managing Real Madrid means dealing with superstar players — with all the positives and negatives that can bring. Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025 The collection includes 3,100 black-and-white images taken in nearly 300 villages, towns, and cities around the country as well as the negatives and detailed data sheets describing construction techniques, materials, and historical context for each building. JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025 Hesse’s films were all burned during the 1966 coup that ousted Nkrumah, but the filmmaker secretly maintained an archive of his negatives in London. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025 Horford, meanwhile, was the only Warrior to finish in the negatives, with the Lakers outscoring Golden State by 10 points across his 20 minutes. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025 Mysterious Skin was digitally restored by the Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute in 4K from the original 35 mm A/B camera negatives and original sound elements. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025 In his shame, Panahi went to the lab, stole the negatives and destroyed them. Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025 At the same time, investors also need to balance potential positives and negatives in the economy, the money management firm said. Michelle Fox, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025 But unfortunately, one of the lone negatives is set to have a drastic long-term affect on the team in regards to the injury suffered by star kicker Spencer Shrader. Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
  • The lack of vetoes signals Crowley's agreement that the board's changes strike the right note of protecting services for vulnerable residents while steering the county toward a more fiscally responsible future.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • If Johnston had vetoed any of the amendments, the council would have had an opportunity Monday to consider overriding any of those vetoes, but would have needed a supermajority to do so.
    Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The two powerhouses were political opposites but became friends and cut deals.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, a 2024 British Journal of Sports Medicine study funded in part by the IOC found that trans women athletes may face several disadvantages when competing with cisgender women, such as less lower body strength and a lower maximum rate of oxygen consumption than both cis women and cis men.
    Abby Monteil, Them., 11 Nov. 2025
  • When asked about potential disadvantages, Roberson said officials hear from educators who can be reluctant to adjust lesson plans.
    Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In between questions about Nineties cultural touchstones like Friends, Space Jam, Beavis and Butthead, the Spice Girls, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot — during which Kravitz racks up a lot of points and Butler downs a lot of shots — the pair also discusses working on Caught Stealing.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Naturally, Meredith completely denies this and says that Britani is only bringing this up because her own relationship is such a disaster.
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The government denies holding political prisoners.
    Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The place is decaying and strict, but Luna refuses to give in to its rules.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
  • But Chiles refuses to let anyone’s score define her.
    Essence, Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Global streamers have broadly rejected the necessity of quotas, claiming their local investment in content and jobs offsets them.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Rose Glass' directorial debut is an ecclesiastical horror that offsets the fine line between devotion and delusion, all while stirring the painful emotions of loneliness and trauma.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Employees have even suggested that Hialeah might be better served by joining county-run departments, an idea Calvo firmly rejects.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • After years representing luxury giants in fashion and beauty ranging from Audemars Piguet to Sephora, content creator Nour Arida is launching her own vision, one that rejects perfection in favor of presence.
    Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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