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nənoun
1.
a choice limited to one of two or more possibilities, as of things, propositions, or courses of action, the selection of which precludes any other possibility: You have the alternative of riding or walking.
2.
one of the things, propositions, or courses of action that can be chosen: The alternative to riding is walking.
3.
a possible or remaining course or choice: There was no alternative but to walk.
adjective
4.
affording a choice of two or more things, propositions, or courses of action.
5.
(of two things, propositions, or courses) mutually exclusive so that if one is chosen the other must be rejected: The alternative possibilities are neutrality and war.
6.
employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment: an alternative newspaper; alternative lifestyles.
7.
Logic. (of a proposition) asserting two or more choices, at least one of which is true.
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Alternative
is an LSAT word you need to know.
So is verify. Does it mean:
| to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony; confirm |
| purpose or goal |
Also, alternate (for defs. 1–4, 6).
Related forms
al·ter·na·tive·ly, adverb
al·ter·na·tive·ness, al·ter·na·tiv·i·ty, noun
qua·si-al·ter·na·tive, adjective
qua·si-al·ter·na·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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|
Link To alternative
Example Sentences
- When an alternative movement goes mainstream, it relinquishes its alternative credentials.
- All artwork must be accompanied by alternative text.
- The only leisure alternative to television is public space.
Collins
World English Dictionary
| alternative (ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a possibility of choice, esp between two things, courses of action, etc |
| 2. | either of such choices: we took the alternative of walking |
| —adj | |
| 3. | presenting a choice, esp between two possibilities only |
| 4. | (of two things) mutually exclusive |
| 5. | denoting a lifestyle, culture, art form, etc, regarded by its adherents as preferable to that of contemporary society because it is less conventional, materialistic, or institutionalized, and, often, more in harmony with nature |
| 6. | logic another word for disjunctive |
| al'ternatively | |
| —adv | |
| al'ternativeness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
alternative
1580s, "offering one or the other of two," from M.L. alternativus, from L. alternatus, pp. of alternare (see alternate). Sense of "the other of two which may be chosen" is recorded from 1838. Adj. use, "purporting to be a superior choice to what is in general use" was
EXPAND current by 1970 (earliest ref. is to the media); e.g. alternative energy (1975).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
alternative
pop music style, built on distorted guitars and rooted in generational discontent, that dominated and changed rock between 1991 and 1996. It burst into the mainstream when "Smells Like Teen Spirit"-the first major-label single from Nirvana, a trio based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.-became a national hit. Suddenly, older, difficult, and even anarchic movements, as well as a previous decade of do-it-yourself college rock, acquired a flashy beachhead on pop radio.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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