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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Relevance

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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
However, the positives have increasingly outweighed the negatives throughout 2026, to the point where, at the time of writing, the game has a 74% positive score for reviews written in the past 30 days (of which there have been 951). Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Of course, once again, regulations could be tough, and debt would be an issue … but those are negatives in any major deal of this size, and the telecom players might be hungry enough to go for it. Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026 These kinds of old negatives are often stored inside cans and are so fragile they can’t be unrolled without destroying them, Seales says. Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 June 2026 The negatives hinted at the zone of discomfort Carroll often inspires. Leanne Shapton, The New York Review of Books, 24 June 2026 Instead of harping on the negatives and problems, center and rest your energy on the positives and protect your peace to wash away some of your worries. Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 18 June 2026 Now Simmons and his old negatives have exposure like never before. Noel Brennan, CBS News, 18 June 2026 But there are real negatives that this blanket ban has forced upon kids. Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 June 2026 Even outside of the challenges tied to the Iran conflict, the tendency toward offshoring is creating other negatives for the industry including overproduction, demand misalignment and markdowns. Sj Studio, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
  • DeSantis’ vetoes carved roughly $800 million from the $115 billion state budget the Legislature passed in May, including 140 projects requested by Miami-Dade lawmakers that are worth nearly $88 million, according to a Miami Herald analysis.
    Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
  • One of his biggest vetoes slashed more more than $225 million for new housing and maintenance of existing facilities requested by the Department of Corrections.
    Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Where modern novels might have opposites meeting at work, separated by a misunderstanding and reunited with a kiss and solid communication, ancient novels are quite different.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
  • The two are still polar opposites; Sally is a dutiful mother who bakes beautiful cakes and avoids men while Gillian is all about finding literal Chads on Tinder.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of being seen that way?
    Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 11 July 2026
  • Even worse, workers left to figure AI out on their own face disadvantages, including falling behind colleagues and experimenting without guardrails, exposing themselves and their organizations to data-security risks.
    Scott Francis, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • Springtown takes edge in 7-4A race, downs Decatur Springtown got the inside track on the District 7-4A championship after beating Decatur 4-2 in 8 innings on Monday night at Decatur High School.
    Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 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
  • And a Ukrainian intelligence officer who initially confessed to killing her, according to prosecutors, but now denies it.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 11 July 2026
  • Abby Wambach scores a thrilling goal to tie it in the 122nd minute, and goalkeeper Hope Solo denies the Brazilians again.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • Each time the topic comes up, Jones flatly refuses to consider curtains.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • If Paramount refuses, Bonta said the coalition would seek a temporary restraining order asking a judge to hold up the merger, a move that would cause costly delays and escalate legal expenses for Paramount.
    Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • The warmth offsets the cool pink-gray undertones from the whitewash, giving the room a welcoming, cocooning quality.
    Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 July 2026
  • Federal student loan default can also expose you to wage garnishment, tax refund complications, and in some cases, Social Security offsets.
    True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • DeVoto persuades an editor at Houghton Mifflin to offer them a contract; when Houghton Mifflin eventually rejects the manuscript, DeVoto gets Knopf interested.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been ​a Jewish presence for thousands of years.
    Rami Ayyub, USA Today, 11 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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