Negative: meaning, definitions and examples

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negative

[ ˈnɛɡətɪv ]

^{Context #1}

emotion

expressing or implying denial or refusal; not positive or affirmative.

Synonyms

adverse, pessimistic, unfavorable

Examples of usage

He gave a negative response to the proposal.
I am feeling very negative about the situation.

^{Context #2}

mathematics

a quantity less than zero, such as −3.

Synonyms

less than zero, minus, opposite

Examples of usage

The number line includes both positive and negative numbers.
She struggled with understanding negative integers in math class.

Translations

Translations of the word "negative" in other languages:

🇵🇹 negativo

🇮🇳 नकारात्मक

🇩🇪 negativ

🇮🇩 negatif

🇺🇦 негативний

🇵🇱 negatywny

🇯🇵 ネガティブ

🇫🇷 négatif

🇪🇸 negativo

🇹🇷 negatif

🇰🇷 부정적인

🇸🇦 سلبي

🇨🇿 negativní

🇸🇰 negatívny

🇨🇳 负面的

🇸🇮 negativen

🇮🇸 neikvæður

🇰🇿 теріс

🇬🇪 უარყოფითი

🇦🇿 mənfi

🇲🇽 negativo

Word origin

The word 'negative' originated in the late 14th century from the Latin word 'negativus', meaning 'denying'. Over the centuries, it has evolved to encompass various meanings including refusal, opposition, and pessimism. The mathematical use of 'negative' to represent quantities less than zero was established in the 16th century. Today, 'negative' is a commonly used term in both everyday language and academic fields.

See also: negation, negatively, negator.