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
Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Moody’s Ratings upgraded Thailand’s credit outlook to stable from negative, citing easing downside risks from US tariffs and improved domestic investment momentum.
—Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 May 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for negative
Adjective
In fact, many had already formed negative opinions about her before she was ever seen at an adults-only resort alone with Mike Vrabel.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Moody’s Ratings upgraded Thailand’s credit outlook to stable from negative, citing easing downside risks from US tariffs and improved domestic investment momentum.
—Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
Many original Méliès negatives were lost for good during World War I, when their silver and celluloid were extracted by melting them down.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative.
—CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
Regardless, the outcome of this trial might not impact the ex-couple’s career prospects in all that negative a way, Engelmayer predicted.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 May 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for negative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negative
Adjective
-
On Tuesday a civil jury concluded that Lodes resigned involuntarily due to his reporting of a hostile workplace and was awarded the multimillion-dollar payment as compensation for his emotional damages.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The lawsuit claims Mavromatis experienced retaliatory consequences for raising concerns about the harassment and hostile work environment.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Among Jewish Democrats, opinion skews against AIPAC, with 37% having an unfavorable opinion and 29% favorable.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the unfavorable wind, the mark was more than 14 feet farther than the gold medal-winning throw at the Olympic Games two weeks later.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps more significantly, Graham King, the producer, needed approval for the music from the Jackson estate, effectively giving it veto power over the project.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
After the Brussels meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that without Orban’s veto, action could be coming soon, such as imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Mahle’s opposite on the mound Wednesday was four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts while generating 18 whiffs.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The era of the concert hall was at hand, and the same qualities that had made the mandolin attractive at home now put it at a disadvantage.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Those will be difficult headwinds for Whatley to combat, Bitzer and Roberts both said, especially since members of the sitting president’s party already tend to be at a disadvantage in competitive midterm elections.—
Mary Ramsey
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As part of her agreement to plead guilty, prosecutors will dismiss four felony counts of perjury, procurement or false or forged document to be filed, and two counts of not being entitled to vote in an election.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Though often dismissed as bubblegum soul, the early Jackson 5 hits were intricate and infectious.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
If Yahweh, who delivered Israel from bondage and parted the Red Sea, intervenes too soon, some of us will be denied that choice (parable of the wheat and the tares).—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
According to a California audit last month which analyzed open network traffic across more than 7,600 popular websites scanned from California, over half (55%) of sites set advertising cookies even after users explicitly rejected them.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
-
His dwarfism led his mother to reject him, a natural response when something seems wrong.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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