5 meanings
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1 —as in:
had a negative effect
Definition
bad or harmful- Higher interest rates negatively affected home sales.
negatively = in a bad or harmful manner
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Higher gasoline prices negatively affected sales of movie tickets.
- My luggage was lost. I got sick. I was robbed. The whole vacation was a negative experience.
- Wage growth is lower than hoped and negatively impacting the stock market.
- I'm making a list of the positives and negatives of switching jobs.
- I was tempted to take another jab at Maxon, but I didn't want Marlee to see him in a negative light.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- I wouldn't want them to be a negative influence on your sister.Kody Keplinger -- The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
- That's positive reinforcement for negative behavior.Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
- The only negative about my going to Savanna's party was that now I wouldn't be able to go to the parade and the unicorn costume would he wasted.R.J. Palacio -- Wonder
- Not that her parenting style is a negative one.Colleen Hoover -- Hopeless
negatively = in a bad or harmful manner
negative = bad
negatively = in a bad or harmful manner
negatives = things or characteristics that are bad or harmful
negative = bad
negative = bad or harmful
negative = bad or harmful
negative = thing that is bad or harmful
negative = bad or harmful
2 —as in:
negative feedback from customers
Definition
to express criticism or disagreement, or (especially when talking over a radio or in a military setting) to say "no"- The responses to my plan were negative.
negative = indicated criticism or disagreement
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- We're getting a lot of negative feedback about the proposed changes.
- The candidate ran a negative campaign.
- "Are we cleared for landing?" "Negative. The runway is not clear."
- At the table we discussed whether there was any saltpeter in the mashed potatoes. I defended the negative.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
- "Have you ever seen the place?"
Fanny gave a quick negative, and tried to hide her interest in the subject by...Jane Austen -- Mansfield Park - There was a low grumble in the negative, but Mrs. Perkins didn't seem to notice.Kody Keplinger -- The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
- I've sent other people there, in the past. I've heard nothing negative.Kim Edwards -- The Memory Keeper's Daughter
- (Shaking his head negatively but gently) No. Between a man and a woman there need be only one kind of feeling. I have that for you .... Now even .... right this moment ...Lorraine Hansberry -- A Raisin in the Sun
- "I hate romance," said Flora out loud to herself. She liked the way the words sounded. She imagined them floating above her in a comic-strip bubble; it was a comforting thing to have words hanging over her head. Especially negative words about romance.Kate DiCamillo -- Flora & Ulysses
negative = indicating criticism or disagreement
negative = critical (pointing to bad things about her opponent—rather than good things about herself)
negative = no
negative = indicating an answer of "no"
negative = answer of "no"
negative = indicating disagreement
negative = critical or bad
negatively = indicating an answer of "no"
negative = critical
3 —as in:
a negative attitude
Definition
pessimistic (emphasizing bad things) or disagreeable- Don't be so negative. We'll find a way to make this work.
negative = pessimistic
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- I need a break from her negative attitude.
- "I'm not being negative," I said. "I'm trying to be realistic."Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
- Jessica had one of those contagious smiles that made it really hard to be negative when she was so freaking bubbly.Kody Keplinger -- The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
- Thomas was annoyed at Minho's constant negativity.James Dashner -- The Maze Runner
- "You're always so negative," she said.Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle
- I don't know if it's just Janne's nature to be negative or if there's something more serious going on, if he's playing some sort of game.Stieg Larsson -- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- When Lacy stepped into a delivery room, she felt poisonous, too negative to be the one to welcome another human being to this world.Jodi Picoult -- Nineteen Minutes
- He was reaching a point in life where the despair and negativity were threatening to take over his life.Sampon Davis, et. al. -- We Beat the Street
- Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I'm a great optimist. But when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst-case scenario.Randy Pausch -- The Last Lecture
negative = pessimistic
negative = pessimistic (focusing on bad things)
negative = pessimistic or disagreeable
negativity = pessimism or unpleasantness
negative = pessimistic (focusing on bad things)
negative = pessimistic (expecting bad things instead of good)
negative = pessimistic or disagreeable
negativity = pessimism
negatively = in a pessimistic manner
4 —as in:
The test came back negative.
Definition
did not find a condition or substance to be present- The pregnancy test was negative.
negative = did not find a condition to be present
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The test for bacterial infection came back negative.
- We tested for lead in the drinking water. The results came back negative.
- "I'm not pregnant," she said. "I mean, I thought I was, but the test was negative."Kody Keplinger -- The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
- But negative data's still data.Delia Owens -- Where the Crawdads Sing
- We tested ourselves, and we were negative.Scott Westerfeld -- Uglies
- "Every negative worked in the same sort of profession," Az said.Scott Westerfeld -- Uglies
- We ruled out blood type, gender, physical size, intelligence factors, genetic markers-nothing seemed to account for the negatives.Scott Westerfeld -- Uglies
- Az and I looked very closely at all the negatives-that is, the few pretties who didn't have the lesions-and tried to figure out why they were different.Scott Westerfeld -- Uglies
- Turning his attention back to the radar, he radioed, "Negative contact on proximity radar."Andy Weir -- The Martian
negative = did not find a condition or substance to be present
negative = did not find a substance to be present
negative = indicating that a condition was not found to be present
negative = indicating that a condition was not found to be present
negative = indicating that a condition was not found to be present
negative = people who did not have a condition
negatives = people who did not have a condition
negatives = people who did not have a condition
negative = indicating that a condition was not found to be present
5 —as in:
a negative number
Definition
less than zero- It is a negative number.
negative = less than zero
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The company has a negative cash flow.
- The German bonds have a negative interest rate.
- She was absent when the teacher described the number line. It made it difficult for her to understand negative numbers.
- What math I was ever taught I learned doing the breakfast dishes and listening to Mother explain, over and over, what a fraction is or how to use negative numbers.Tara Westover -- Educated
- In those cases, the comfort quotient became a negative number, and doing what came habitually actually detracted from happiness.Jodi Picoult -- Nineteen Minutes
- The girl freeze-out—today it was negative fifteen.Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl -- Beautiful Creatures
negative = less than zero (they are spending more than they are taking in)
negative = less than zero (instead of paying interest, the government collects interest)
negative = being less than zero
negative = less than zero
negative = minus (what follows is below zero)
Less commonly:
See a comprehensive dictionary for less common meanings of negative including some in the fields of electricity, physics, chemistry, medicine, photography, and grammar. Note that most all senses of negative indicate that something is bad or lacking.