All 3 Uses of

negative
in
Jane Eyre

Nothing of the sort was visible; and when I asked a waiter if any one had been to inquire after a Miss Eyre, I was answered in the negative: so I had no resource but to request to be shown into a private room: and here I am waiting, while all sorts of doubts and fears are troubling my thoughts.
p. 111.8

negative = indicating an answer of "no"

Almost every day I asked Mrs. Fairfax if she had yet heard anything decided: her answer was always in the negative.
p. 284.7 *

One of the gentlemen, Mr. Eshton, observing me, seemed to propose that I should be asked to join them; but Lady Ingram instantly negatived the notion.†
p. 212.5 *

Definitions:

(1) (negative as in: had a negative effect)
bad or harmful
(2) (negative as in: negative feedback from customers)
to express criticism or disagreement, or (especially when talking over a radio or in a military setting) to say "no"
(3) (negative as in: a negative attitude)
pessimistic (emphasizing bad things) or disagreeable
(4) (negative as in: The test came back negative.)
did not find a condition or substance to be present
(5) (negative as in: a negative number)
less than zero
(6) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

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 non-technical senses of negative indicate that something is bad or lacking.