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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of negative
Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
And as the market has grown, scientists and public health advocates have become increasingly alarmed that young men who participate in sports betting may be at a heightened risk of negative physical and mental health consequences.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Often vanity as a characteristic is held up as a negative.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 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
In statements to ProPublica, the credit bureaus said that many complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.
—Joel Jacobs, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
And as the market has grown, scientists and public health advocates have become increasingly alarmed that young men who participate in sports betting may be at a heightened risk of negative physical and mental health consequences.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
For the Academy’s restoration, the original 35mm picture negative was scanned at 4k and digitally restored in a 4k workflow.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Often vanity as a characteristic is held up as a negative.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 27 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
-
Handling a hostile environment Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said his team knew what to expect from Bobcat Ballpark.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Brasília was built from scratch, in the middle of nowhere, in the hostile climate of the Cerrado—a savanna-like biome—hundreds of miles from any highway, railway, or airport.—
Sophia La Banca,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Republican Party has similarly bleak numbers, with 51% of respondents expressing an unfavorable view.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Lodaya noted his previous reservations for Westlake, as well as the broad ethylene sector, included a shrinking ethane advantage and unfavorable polyethylene supply-demand dynamics.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That prompted a complete collapse of the negotiations, then passage of the bill as written and, finally, Polis' veto.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Majeed voted with Republicans to override Stein’s veto of a controversial bill about sexuality, religion in schools and school libraries.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And that requires the opposite of inscrutability.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That is the opposite of Carolyn.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Olen Zellweger committed a tripping penalty in overtime, but Anaheim killed the four-on-three disadvantage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Olen Zellweger committed a tripping penalty in overtime, but Anaheim killed the 4-on-3 disadvantage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, these picture-perfect images are often dismissed as advertisements that ignore the far less glamorous issues in the destination, including human rights abuses.—
Tamara Hardingham-Gill,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Prosecutors dismissed doxxing charges in the Baldwin Park case after a Homeland Security investigator told the court the address that protesters shouted on the livestream was a few houses away from where Reyes lived.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The judge, who is noticeably losing patience with Cox, denied a closed hearing.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Israel, which has denied conducting the strike, has focused on areas of Iran closer to Israel and hasn’t reported conducting any strikes south of Isfahan, 500 miles away.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a further escalation of tensions with Kyiv, Hungary's parliament on Tuesday passed a resolution giving the government the green light to oppose Ukraine's path to joining the European Union and reject any initiatives to supply Ukraine with weapons or funding.—
JUSTIN SPIKE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
-
On Tuesday, officials representing Seligman urged the council to reject the compensation agreements and instead sell the property to Seligman.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
