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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Film negatives deteriorate through humidity, chemical decay and physical damage, and without timely intervention, important works risk being lost entirely.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
The original black-and-white 35mm negatives of the film have been lost.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s vice president for women’s basketball, told ESPN the positives outweigh the negatives.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
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
That came with pluses and negatives, but mostly the former, according to Alexa.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
This helps kids look for the positives in their siblings rather than the negatives.
—David Sparrow, Parents, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
The scanner is designed for efficiency, with a quick-loading tray system that allows continuous scanning of multiple slides or negatives.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Film negatives deteriorate through humidity, chemical decay and physical damage, and without timely intervention, important works risk being lost entirely.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
The original black-and-white 35mm negatives of the film have been lost.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s vice president for women’s basketball, told ESPN the positives outweigh the negatives.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
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
That came with pluses and negatives, but mostly the former, according to Alexa.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
This helps kids look for the positives in their siblings rather than the negatives.
—David Sparrow, Parents, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
-
Democrats, with their supermajority, can also override the governor’s vetoes.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But Orbán's vetoes have limited EU responses.—
SAM McNEIL,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trapping opposites in one cage In their study, the researchers focused on a tool called a Paul trap, a workhorse of modern physics.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Each has its advantages and disadvantages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Ross Dellenger, who covers business for On3, detailed UConn’s football financial disadvantages, the money earned by basketball.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Birdville downs rival Richland Matthew Moore allowed 1 earned run while scattering 2 hits across 5 innings to lead North Richland Hills Birdville past North Richland Hills Richland 3-2 in a District 6-5A showdown on Tuesday night at Richland High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Husband of missing Michigan woman arrested in Bahamas; his attorney says Brian Hooker categorically denies wrongdoing in her disappearance.—
R.j. Rico,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Nine grandmothers, all in their nineties, staring down death without justice as a far-right Japanese government denies their history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Avery refuses to let that happen.—
Ryan Wilusz,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
But the porch light, with only one working bulb, refuses to show us the perfect curves of her aloneness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While customer bills still rise, the CMC initiative partially offsets that cost for Illinois customers.—
Maggie Dougherty,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The Mex Cube sofa by Piero Lissoni is upholstered in a matching hue, and an Utrecht armchair offsets the earth tones with striking royal blue.—
Ludovica Stevan,
Architectural Digest,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Against a backdrop of tennis courts, luxury hotels, and colonial privilege, simmering tensions erupt as Lan’s brother Tran rejects his wealthy family’s collaboration with the French to join Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary cause, setting off an assassination that changes everything.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Miami summarily rejects anything resembling tanking because of a long-standing organizational philosophy that isn’t going to be revisited.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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