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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of negative
Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
Residents of the nearby Oak Hill South subdivision told the commission that noise and light from the stadium will have a negative effect on their quality of life.
—Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 29 Dec. 2025
One final negative is that 32GB of storage means there's less memory available than other options on this page.
—Alexander Cox, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2025
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
Growth in this core market has slowed to low single digits, and now has turned negative, with comparable sales down 5% in the most recent quarter.
—Noun
People have started to hone in on the potential negatives associated with AI’s expansion, both from the human perspective and the environmental.
—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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for negative
Adjective
-
Skepticism came easily to Trump, who had long been hostile to mainstream foreign policy.—
-
The helicopter the pilot was flying — a heavy, twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook — was struck by hostile fire during the operation.—
Adjective
-
Just remember that Joe Biden’s administration had four years to open the files and disclose any possible news unfavorable to the Republicans.—
-
While 48% of the respondents who had heard of Talarico viewed him positively and 18% viewed him negatively, 48% of respondents familiar with Crockett had an unfavorable impression compared with the 40% who viewed her positively.—
Noun
-
To become Florida law, bills need to survive committee hearings, pass votes in the House and Senate and avoid the governor’s veto pen.—
-
Congress attempted to rein in that authority after the Vietnam War with the War Powers Resolution, passed over Republican President Richard Nixon’s veto.—
Noun
-
The two men were polar opposites, but Fox knew how to talk to him.—
-
Tonight’s penultimate episode of season two feels like an anti-climax — not just a letdown generally, but the diametric opposite of a climax.—
Noun
-
The Patriots have a clear kicking disadvantage in this one.—
-
In some ways, The Pitt’s breakout first season put it at a disadvantage going into the second.—
Verb
-
In September, Hecox filed a notice to dismiss the lawsuit.—
-
Why was Alabama’s 31-17 loss to a 4-8 FSU team so easily dismissed by the committee?—
Verb
-
He was charged with first-degree murder but denied any involvement.—
-
Squeeze Burger announced Tuesday that its sole remaining brick-and-mortar in Roseville is set to close later this month, after its proposal for a new lease was reportedly denied.—
Verb
-
Bonta rejected the allegations as unsubstantiated and said the states were targeted solely because of their political leadership.—
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For at least the third time in just over a year, Humphrey has rejected most serious charges against rule-breaking cops.—
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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