I. ˈne-gə-tiv adjective
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal
received a negative answer
also : marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive
the negative motivation of shame — Garrett Hardin
b.
(1) : denying a predicate of a subject or a part of a subject
“no A is B” is a negative proposition
(2) : denoting the absence or the contradictory of something
nontoxic is a negative term
(3) : expressing negation
negative particles such as no and not
c. : adverse , unfavorable
the reviews were mostly negative
2.
a. : lacking positive qualities ; especially : disagreeable
b. : marked by features of hostility, withdrawal, or pessimism that hinder or oppose constructive treatment or development
a negative outlook
negative criticism
c. : promoting a person or cause by criticizing or attacking the competition
ran a negative campaign
negative advertising
3.
a.
(1) : less than zero and opposite in sign to a positive number that when added to the given number yields zero
-2 is a negative number
(2) : having more outgo than income : constituting a loss
negative cash flow
negative worth
b. : extending or generated in a direction opposite to an arbitrarily chosen regular direction or position
negative angle
4.
a. : being, relating to, or charged with electricity of which the electron is the elementary unit
b. : having more electrons than protons
a negative ion
c.
(1) : having lower electric potential and constituting the part toward which the current flows from the external circuit
the negative pole
(2) : being the electron-emitting electrode of an electron tube
5.
a. : not affirming the presence of a condition, substance, or organism suspected to be present ; also : having a test result indicating the absence especially of a condition, substance, or organism
she is HIV negative
b. : directed or moving away from a source of stimulation
negative tropism
c. : less than the pressure of the atmosphere
negative pressure
6. : having the light and dark parts in approximately inverse relation to those of the original photographic subject
7. of a lens : diverging light rays and forming a virtual inverted image
• neg·a·tive·ly adverb
• neg·a·tive·ness noun
• neg·a·tiv·i·ty ˌne-gə-ˈti-və-tē noun
II. noun
Date: 1571
1.
a.
(1) : a reply that indicates the withholding of assent : refusal
(2) archaic : a right of veto
(3) obsolete : an adverse vote : veto
b. : a proposition which denies or contradicts another ; especially : the one of a pair of propositions in which negation is expressed
2.
a. : something that is the opposite or negation of something else
b. : drawback , liability
3.
a. : an expression (as the word no ) of negation or denial
b. : a negative number
4. : the side that upholds the contradictory proposition in a debate
5. : a negative photographic image on transparent material used for printing positive pictures ; also : the material that carries such an image
6. : a reverse impression taken from a piece of sculpture or ceramics
7. : a negative result (as of a test)
a high rate of false negative s
also : a test yielding such a result
III. transitive verb
( -tived ; -tiv·ing )
Date: 1706
1.
a. : to refuse assent to
b. : to reject by or as if by a vote
2. : to demonstrate the falsity of
3. : to deny the truth, reality, or validity of
4. : neutralize , counteract