n.1 the absence or opposite of something actual or positive.
2 a the act of denying. b an instance of this.
3 (usu. foll. by of) a refusal, contradiction, or denial.
4 a negative statement or doctrine.
5 a negative or unreal thing; a nonentity.
6 Logic the assertion that a certain proposition is false.
Derivatives:
negatory adj.
Etymology: F negation or L negatio (as NEGATE)