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
But more than the superlatives, what's notable is there were not many negatives. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 But the positive effect of it way, way outweighs any negatives. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Finding negatives about aging can be easier than finding the positives. — Helen Dennis, Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026 There were positives and negatives in a 17-13 defeat that helped clarify Washington’s 53-man roster outlook. — Tashan Reed, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2026 When one participant asked about the positives of ALPRs, Deffenbaugh responded to say that the negatives vastly outweigh the positives, going as far as to say that ALPRs pose a challenge to the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. — Tj Rhodes, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 22 Aug. 2026 By refusing to dwell solely on the negatives and problems, Lopez said positive reappraisal can help people be more nimble, flexible and adaptive to challenges. — Jayson Jenks, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Restored at the TransPerfect Media laboratory from the 35mm image and sound negatives. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026 Balancing those positives and negatives takes careful architecture between the data, the AI and the business strategy. — James Loffler, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
  • Gabriel’s Law passes after long fight by Lackey Newsom’s weekend of bill signings and vetoes was far from pure bad news for Lackey, however.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The proposal was defeated by a vote of 11-2, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining, because of the Russian and Chinese vetoes.
    — September 18, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Speed and quality aren’t opposites; the conflict persists because no one built the process for deciding tradeoffs.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a little bit of an opposites-attract kind of thing with them that plays really well.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The return of federal student loan payments this month threatens to derail prospects for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a cohort already facing steep economic disadvantages.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Their disadvantages include lower energy storage and the possibility of larger, heavier battery systems.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Both teams had ups and downs (mostly downs for the Browns) but Ohio State was always a much better, and much more fun atmosphere.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly everyone rides a stationary bike — high tension, low speed — after a match and quickly downs a protein recovery drink.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Investigators are examining possible links to Iran, Russia or militant groups, but have not determined whether a foreign state was involved; Tehran denies involvement.
    — Alastair Grant, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Rodríguez's administration denies the country is jailing dissidents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The White House is likely to play hardball if confronted with investigations, and Democrats are bracing for an administration that potentially ignores subpoenas or refuses to turn over paperwork that lawmakers are demanding.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout the film, Agent Miller refuses to abandon the investigation, even after being discouraged from following the case by her superiors who felt as though there wasn’t enough evidence pointing to Kaczynski.
    — Jane LaCroix, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At this point, one year of interest income offsets the price decline from a 1% rise in rates.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • That reflects tourism’s role as a vital economic engine that offsets tax burdens for Overland Park residents, a news release says.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Salvage what creates value, discard what evidence rejects and rebuild around the problem that remains.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Slemmer’s mother, May Slemmer Martinez, supports Pike’s execution and rejects the suggestion that Pike’s age or traumatic upbringing should spare her.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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