adj causing privation; depriving.
2. privative ·noun a privative prefix or suffix. ·see privative, ·adj, 3.
3. privative ·noun that of which the essence is the absence of something.
4. privative ·adj consisting in the absence of something; not positive; negative.
5. privative ·noun a term indicating the absence of any quality which might be naturally or rationally expected;
called also privative term.
6. privative ·adj implying privation or negation; giving a negative force to a word; as, alpha privative; privative particles;
applied to such prefixes and suffixes as a- (·gr. /), un-, non-, -less.