All 3 Uses of
negative
in
The Chrysalids
- We did not, and because we did not, we had no positive — we were condemned to negatives, to not revealing ourselves, to not speaking when we would, to not using what we knew, to not being found out — to a life of perpetual deception, concealment, and lying.
Chpt 9 (definition 1) *negatives = focusing on things not done--rather than on things done
- ...we had no positive — we were condemned to negatives, to not revealing ourselves, to not speaking when we would, to not using what we knew, to not being found out — to a life of perpetual deception, concealment, and lying. The prospect of continued negativeness stretching out ahead chafed him more than it did the rest of us.†
Chpt 9 (definition 2)
- As far as I was concerned a firm grasp of the negative in the cause of survival had been quite enough to occupy me; I was only just beginning to perceive the vacancy left by the absent positive.
Chpt 9 (definition 2) *negative = bad or harmful
Definitions:
-
(1) (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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(2) (negative as in: had a negative effect) bad or harmful