n.
Pronunciation: ' ne-g ə -ti- ˌ vi-z ə m
Function: noun
Date: 1824
1 : an attitude of mind marked by skepticism especially about nearly everything affirmed by others
2 : a tendency to refuse to do, to do the opposite of, or to do something at variance with what is asked
– neg · a · tiv · ist \ -vist \ noun or adjective
– neg · a · tiv · is · tic \ ˌ ne-g ə -ti- ' vis-tik \ adjective