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
Try This Instead
Try This InsteadFor
Try This
a negative impact
negative consequences
terrible consequences
awful consequences
nasty consequences
unfavorable consequences
disadvantageous consequences
negative reaction
negative thoughts
negative feelings
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of negative
Paul Davidson, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, many hospitals and medical practices are struggling with working capital, rising costs and negative operating margins.
—Sara Ratner, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
But for the first time in several years, there appear to be more positives than negatives entering the season.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Allison Pohle, WSJ, 2 Aug. 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
Meanwhile, the negative effects on the economy could be significant, prompting the Fed to lower rates sooner and more sharply.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, many hospitals and medical practices are struggling with working capital, rising costs and negative operating margins.
—Sara Ratner, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
What To Know Almost every pollster now shows Trump's net approval rating in the negatives, meaning more people disapprove of his job performance than approve.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
But for the first time in several years, there appear to be more positives than negatives entering the season.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
And passengers boarding international flights to the U.S. no longer need to test negative a day before departure or prove recovery from Covid in the past 90 days.
—Allison Pohle, WSJ, 2 Aug. 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
-
Andreas typically waits until there have been three instances of potential hostile communication before asking her friend or colleague if everything is OK.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Home to one of the world’s largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan – Pakistan has not always welcomed the foreigners, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the years.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump has derided the outlets as being unfavorable to him and a drain on taxpayer money.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2025
-
According to a Quinnipiac poll released in mid-March, only 7 percent of American voters have a favorable opinion of Putin, while 81 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him.—
Eric Jason Martin Tanya Pérez Ted Blaisdell,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Before this recent trend of Congressional acquiescence, Republican President Ronald Reagan issued 78 vetoes in his eight years in office.—
David M. Drucker,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The General Assembly overrode Holcomb's veto later that year.—
Arika Herron,
Axios,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That shows the family is teaching empathy, mutual respect, and emotional intelligence—precisely the opposite of what the uncle accused them of lacking.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Sure, the product is important, but kindness—the opposite of rudeness and apathy—is what keeps them coming back.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Mitch Raposo: Mitch Raposo needed to negate an eight-inch reach disadvantage against Sumudaerji.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Despite its disadvantages, single living is on the rise.—
Peter McGraw,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The plans to dismiss the case were first reported by Bloomberg.—
Sarah N. Lynch and Ryan Patrick Jones,
USA TODAY,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The letter asks Judge Walsh to dismiss the OCA’s lawsuit.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The immigration judge denied the asylum claim because the time limits to make such a claim had expired.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
-
On Thursday, April 3, the city denied that the music festival is happening there, according to a press release translated by Rolling Stone.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
There are plenty of glaring examples, such as Steve Jobs and Google being rejected by some of the world’s most renowned VCs (https://www.bvp.com/anti-portfolio).—
Dileep Rao,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The best way to avoid the tariffs, Trump has told businesses, is to make goods inside the U.S. EU officials had suggested sector-specific zero-for-zero tariffs with the U.S., such as in industrial goods and autos, but Trump rejected the idea.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Negative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negative. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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