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[neg-uh-tiv] /ˈnɛg ə tɪv/

adjective
1.
expressing or containing negation or denial:
a negative response to the question.
2.
refusing consent, as to a proposal:
a negative reply to my request.
3.
expressing refusal to do something:
He maintained a negative attitude about cooperating.
4.
prohibitory, as a command or order.
5.
characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes (opposed to ):
a dull, lifeless, negative character.
6.
lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism, cooperativeness, or the like:
a man of negative viewpoint.
7.
being without rewards, results, or effectiveness:
a search of the premises proved negative.
8.
Mathematics, Physics.

9.
Photography. noting an image in which the brightness values of the subject are reproduced so that the lightest areas are shown as the darkest.
10.
Electricity.

11.
Medicine/Medical. failing to show a positive result in a test for a specific disease caused by either bacteria or viruses.
12.
Chemistry. (of an element or group) tending to gain electrons and become negatively charged; acid.
13.
Physiology. responding in a direction away from the stimulus.
14.
of, relating to, or noting the south pole of a magnet.
15.
Logic. (of a proposition) denying the truth of the predicate with regard to the subject.
noun
16.
a negative statement, answer, word, gesture, etc.:
The ship signaled back a negative.
17.
a refusal of assent:
to answer a request with a negative.
18.
the negative form of statement.
19.
a person or number of persons arguing against a resolution, statement, etc., especially a team upholding the negative side in a formal debate.
20.
a negative quality or characteristic.
21.
disadvantage; drawback:
The plan is generally brilliant, but it has one or two negatives.
22.
Mathematics.

23.
Photography. a negative image, as on a film, used chiefly for making positives.
24.
Electricity. the negative plate or element in a voltaic cell.
25.
Archaic. a veto, or right of veto:
The delegation may exercise its negative.
adverb
26.
(used to indicate a negative response): “You won’t come with us?” “Negative.”.
verb (used with object), negatived, negativing.
27.
to deny; contradict.
28.
to refute or disprove (something).
29.
to refuse assent or consent to; veto.
30.
to neutralize or counteract.
interjection
31.
(used to indicate disagreement, denial of permission, etc.):
Negative, pilot—complete your mission as directed.
Idioms
32.
in the negative, in the form of a negative response, as a refusal, denial, or disagreement; no:
The reply, when it finally came, was in the negative.
/ˈnɛɡətɪv/
adjective
1.
expressing or meaning a refusal or denial: a negative answer
2.
lacking positive or affirmative qualities, such as enthusiasm, interest, or optimism
3.
showing or tending towards opposition or resistance
4.

5.
(biology) indicating movement or growth away from a particular stimulus: negative geotropism
6.
(med) (of the results of a diagnostic test) indicating absence of the disease or condition for which the test was made
7.
another word for minus (sense 3b), minus (sense 5)
8.
(physics)

9.
short for electronegative
10.
of or relating to a photographic negative
11.
(logic) (of a categorial proposition) denying the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in some men are irrational; no pigs have wings
12.
(astrology) of, relating to, or governed by the signs of the zodiac of the earth and water classifications, which are thought to be associated with a receptive passive nature
13.
short for Rh negative
noun
14.
a statement or act of denial, refusal, or negation
15.
a negative person or thing
16.
(photog) a piece of photographic film or a plate, previously exposed and developed, showing an image that, in black-and-white photography, has a reversal of tones. In colour photography the image is in complementary colours to the subject so that blue sky appears yellow, green grass appears purple, etc
17.
(physics) a negative object, such as a terminal or a plate in a voltaic cell
18.
a sentence or other linguistic element with a negative meaning, as the English word not
19.
a quantity less than zero or a quantity to be subtracted
20.
(logic) a negative proposition
21.
(archaic) the right of veto
22.
in the negative, indicating denial or refusal
sentence substitute
23.
(esp in military communications) a signal code word for no1
verb (transitive)
24.
to deny or nullify; negate
25.
to show to be false; disprove
26.
to refuse to consent to or approve of: the proposal was negatived
adj.

c.1400, “expressing denial,” from Old French negatif (13c.) and directly from Latin negativus “that which denies,” from negat-, past participle stem of negare “deny, say no” (see deny). Meaning “expressing negation” is from c.1500; that of “characterized by absence” is from 1560s. Algebraic sense is from 1670s. The electricity sense is from 1755.

Negative Capability, that is when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact and reason. [John Keats, letter, Dec. 21, 1817]

Related: Negatively.

n.

late 14c., “a prohibition; absence, nonexistence; opposite,” from Old French negatif and directly from Latin negativus (see negative (adj.)). Meaning “a negative statement” is from 1560s. As a response, “I refuse, disagree, no,” from 1945. Meaning “a negative quality” is from 1640s. In mathematics, “a negative number,” from 1706. Photographic sense first recorded 1853.

negative neg·a·tive (něg’ə-tĭv)
adj.

negative
(něg’ə-tĭv)

noun

A negative element in judgment; a minus: ”drove up Dukakis’ negatives” in voter surveys (1647+)