Both Uses of
negative
in
Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis
- She could not take their point of view; it was a negative thing; an intellectual squalor; a swamp of prejudices and fears.†
Chpt 10 *negative = bad or harmful
- Even the dancers were gradually crushed by the invisible force of fifty perfectly pure and well-behaved and negative minds; and they sat down, two by two.†
Chpt 6
Definitions:
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(1)
(negative as in: had a negative effect) bad or harmful
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(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"
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(3)
(negative as in: a negative attitude) pessimistic (emphasizing bad things) or disagreeable
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(4)
(negative as in: The test came back negative.) did not find a condition or substance to be present
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(5)
(negative as in: a negative number) less than zero
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(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.