1
as in hostile
marked by opposition or ill will
classes that hopefully will change the negative attitude that some students have toward the recent immigrants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests
the almost universally negative reaction to the book
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in veto
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposite
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 disadvantage
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 to dismiss
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 to deny
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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3
as in to reject
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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4
as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
no amount of flattery is likely to negative that overheard insult
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5
as in to refuse
to be unwilling to grant
ultimately, we negatived the request for a personal loan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of negative
Hugh Leask,sawdah Bhaimiya,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Though López’s injury is overwhelmingly negative for the player and team, Shelton wants those who can benefit from it to take advantage of their opportunity.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Mark Travers, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
However, police quickly responded in the negative.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Feb. 2026
Yueqi Yang, Time, 20 Apr. 2022
Travelers also need to negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying to return to the United States.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for negative
Adjective
Bayer expects a negative free cash flow for this year.
—Hugh Leask,sawdah Bhaimiya,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Though López’s injury is overwhelmingly negative for the player and team, Shelton wants those who can benefit from it to take advantage of their opportunity.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Noun
Actively celebrating each other’s good news Humans are biologically wired to focus on the negative.
—Mark Travers, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
However, police quickly responded in the negative.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
But with sales growth expected to go from triple digits in 2021 to negative this year, shares have tanked to a record low recently.
—Yueqi Yang, Time, 20 Apr. 2022
Travelers also need to negative COVID-19 test within one day of flying to return to the United States.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for negative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negative
Adjective
-
Deery believes that decline can be attributed in part to prospective students and parents feeling like campuses are hostile to those who don't hold a liberal-leaning worldview.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
-
For some unexplained reason, if such an event continues for a prolonged period, citizens can often become inexplicably hostile.—
Wayne Chan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Even then, couples with unfavorable Star sign synastry can last in the long term.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The same polling showed 57% of voters disapprove of Trump’s deportation policies and 60% hold an unfavorable view of ICE.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The council majority could pass its plan without input from Lee, who does not hold veto power.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The veto was a victory for businesses that sell those kinds of products, but a federal ban is still scheduled to go into effect later this year.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Her fans, of course, will support her, while anyone with a basic understanding of reverse psychology will do the opposite.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
-
They are modeled as attractive opposites.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The war in Ukraine has only deepened Russia’s disadvantages.—
Alan Cullison,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Stewart nullified the size disadvantage with his speed and relentless style.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Marty Singer, attorney for the spouses at the time, dismissed the controversy.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Yesterday, Judge Aran Subramanian dismissed some portions of the suit but allowed other claims to proceed in the DOJ’s efforts to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Recent requests had similarly been made and denied to honor Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist, and former Vice President Dick Cheney.—
MATT BROWN,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The Pentagon has denied these allegations.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a Gary man’s bid last week to cut his sentence for attacking multiple women.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Like in the case of Adam Hart, who rejected a digital verdict in order to protect a patient’s lungs, the ultimate value of the nurse in the age of AI may be not their ability to follow the prompt but their willingness to override it.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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