expressing, containing, or suggesting the word "no'' or "not;'' expressing denial:a negative response to the question;Negative words in English include nobody, nor, and nothing.
refusing consent or permission:a negative reply to my request.
showing an attitude of refusal; unwilling:a negative attitude about cooperating.
a negative statement, answer, word, gesture, etc.:to answer a request with a negative;Words such as no, not, nor, and nobody are negatives. See in the negative below.
the negative form of a statement:The negative of the clause I am running is I am not running.
one or more persons arguing against a statement in a formal debate, esp. a team arguing this way. Compare affirmative.
a negative quality or characteristic:a plan with only one negative.
Mathematics
a minus sign.
a negative amount or symbol.
Photographya negative image, as on a film, used chiefly for making positives.
interj.
(used often in official situations, to indicate disagreement, denial of permission, etc., esp. as a response); no:"You won't come with us?'' "Negative.''
Idioms
Idiomsin the negative, in the form of a negative response:to answer in the negative.
expressing or containing negation or denial:a negative response to the question.
refusing consent, as to a proposal:a negative reply to my request.
expressing refusal to do something:He maintained a negative attitude about cooperating.
prohibitory, as a command or order.
characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes (opposed to positive):a dull, lifeless, negative character.
lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism, cooperativeness, or the like:a man of negative viewpoint.
being without rewards, results, or effectiveness:a search of the premises proved negative.
Physics, Mathematics[Math., Physics.]
involving or noting subtraction; minus.
measured or proceeding in the direction opposite to that which is considered as positive.
Photographynoting an image in which the brightness values of the subject are reproduced so that the lightest areas are shown as the darkest.
Electricity
Electricityof, pertaining to, or characterized by negative electricity.
Electricityindicating a point in a circuit that has a lower potential than that of another point, the current flowing from the point of higher potential to the point of lower potential.
[Med.]failing to show a positive result in a test for a specific disease caused by either bacteria or viruses.
Chemistry(of an element or group) tending to gain electrons and become negatively charged; acid.
Physiologyresponding in a direction away from the stimulus.
of, pertaining to, or noting the south pole of a magnet.
Philosophy[Logic.](of a proposition) denying the truth of the predicate with regard to the subject.
n.
a negative statement, answer, word, gesture, etc.:The ship signaled back a negative.
a refusal of assent:to answer a request with a negative.
the negative form of statement.
a person or number of persons arguing against a resolution, statement, etc., esp. a team upholding the negative side in a formal debate.
a negative quality or characteristic.
disadvantage; drawback:The plan is generally brilliant, but it has one or two negatives.
Mathematics
a minus sign.
a negative quantity or symbol.
Photographya negative image, as on a film, used chiefly for making positives.
Physics, Electricity[Elect.]the negative plate or element in a voltaic cell.
[Archaic.]a veto, or right of veto:The delegation may exercise its negative.
Idiomsin the negative, in the form of a negative response, as a refusal, denial, or disagreement; no:The reply, when it finally came, was in the negative.
adv.
(used to indicate a negative response):"You won't come with us?'' "Negative.''
v.t.
to deny; contradict.
to refute or disprove (something).
to refuse assent or consent to; veto.
to neutralize or counteract.
interj.
(used to indicate disagreement, denial of permission, etc.):Negative, pilot—complete your mission as directed.
Latin as above
Middle French
Latin negātīvus denying (see negate, -ive); replacing Middle English negatif (noun, nominal and adjective, adjectival)
1350–1400
neg′a•tive•ly, adv. neg′a•tive•ness, neg′a•tiv′i•ty, n.
6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged uncooperative, antagonistic, hostile.
(of a categorial proposition) denying the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in some men are irrational; no pigs have wings
a statement or act of denial, refusal, or negation
a negative person or thing
a piece of photographic film or a plate, previously exposed and developed, showing an image that, in black-and-white photography, has a reversal of tones. In colour photography the image is in complementary colours to the subject so that blue sky appears yellow, green grass appears purple, etc
a negative object, such as a terminal or a plate in a voltaic cell
a sentence or other linguistic element with a negative meaning, as the English word not
a quantity less than zero or a quantity to be subtracted
a negative proposition
in the negative ⇒ indicating denial or refusal
(esp in military communications) a signal code word forno1
(transitive)
to deny or nullify; negate
to show to be false; disprove
to refuse to consent to or approve of: the proposal was negatived