expressing or containing negation or denial: a negative response to the question.
2.
refusing consent, as to a proposal: a negative reply to my request.
3.
expressing refusal to do something: He maintained a negative attitude about cooperating.
4.
prohibitory, as a command or order.
5.
characterized by the absence of distinguishing or marked qualities or features; lacking positive attributes (opposed to positive): a dull, lifeless, negative character.
6.
lacking in constructiveness, helpfulness, optimism, cooperativeness, or the like: a man of negative viewpoint.
7.
being without rewards, results, or effectiveness: a search of the premises proved negative.
8.
Mathematics,Physics.
a.
involving or noting subtraction; minus.
b.
measured or proceeding in the direction opposite to that which is considered as positive.
9.
Photography. noting an image in which the brightness values of the subject are reproduced so that the lightest areas are shown as the darkest.
10.
Electricity.
a.
of, pertaining to, or characterized by negative electricity.
b.
indicating a point in a circuit that has a lower potential than that of another point, the current flowing from the point of higher potential to the point of lower potential.
11.
Medicine/Medical. failing to show a positive result in a test for a specific disease caused by either bacteria or viruses.
12.
Chemistry. (of an element or group) tending to gain electrons and become negatively charged; acid.
13.
Physiology. responding in a direction away from the stimulus.
14.
of, pertaining to, or noting the south pole of a magnet.
15.
Logic. (of a proposition) denying the truth of the predicate with regard to the subject.
–noun
16.
a negative statement, answer, word, gesture, etc.: The ship signaled back a negative.
17.
a refusal of assent: to answer a request with a negative.
18.
the negative form of statement.
19.
a person or number of persons arguing against a resolution, statement, etc., esp. a team upholding the negative side in a formal debate.
20.
a negative quality or characteristic.
21.
disadvantage; drawback: The plan is generally brilliant, but it has one or two negatives.
22.
Mathematics.
a.
a minus sign.
b.
a negative quantity or symbol.
23.
Photography. a negative image, as on a film, used chiefly for making positives.
24.
Electricity. the negative plate or element in a voltaic cell.
25.
Archaic. a veto, or right of veto: The delegation may exercise its negative.
–adverb
26.
(used to indicate a negative response): “You won't come with us?” “Negative.”
–verb (used with object)
27.
to deny; contradict.
28.
to refute or disprove (something).
29.
to refuse assent or consent to; veto.
30.
to neutralize or counteract.
–interjection
31.
(used to indicate disagreement, denial of permission, etc.): Negative, pilot—complete your mission as directed.
—Idiom
32.
in the negative, in the form of a negative response, as a refusal, denial, or disagreement; no: The reply, when it finally came, was in the negative.
Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial: gave a negative answer to our request.
Indicating opposition or resistance: a negative reaction to the new advertising campaign.
Unpleasant; disagreeable: had a negative experience on his first job.
Gloomy; pessimistic: a negative outlook.
Unfavorable or detrimental: a negative review; a negative effect on the child's development.
Hostile or disparaging; malicious: ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Of or relating to the sign (-).
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (-).
Of or relating to a body having an excess of electrons.
Lacking positive or constructive features, especially:
Unpleasant; disagreeable: had a negative experience on his first job.
Gloomy; pessimistic: a negative outlook.
Unfavorable or detrimental: a negative review; a negative effect on the child's development.
Hostile or disparaging; malicious: ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Of or relating to the sign (-).
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (-).
Of or relating to a body having an excess of electrons.
Medicine Not indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
Logic Designating a proposition that denies agreement between a subject and its predicate.
Mathematics
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Of or relating to the sign (-).
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (-).
Of or relating to a body having an excess of electrons.
Physics
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (-).
Of or relating to a body having an excess of electrons.
Chemistry Of or relating to an ion, the anion, that is attracted to a positive electrode.
Biology Moving or turning away from a stimulus, such as light: a negative tropism.
n.
A statement or act indicating or expressing a contradiction, denial, or refusal.
A statement or act that is highly critical of another or of others: campaign advertising that was based solely on negatives.
Something that lacks all positive, affirmative, or encouraging features; an element that is the counterpoint of the positive: "Life is full of overwhelming odds. You can't really eliminate the negatives but you can diminish them"(Art Linkletter).
A feature or characteristic that is not deemed positive, affirmative, or desirable: "As voters get to know his liberal views, his negatives will rise"(Richard M. Nixon).
An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light.
A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
Grammar A word or part of a word, such as no, not, or non-, that indicates negation. See Usage Note at double negative.
The side in a debate that contradicts or opposes the question being debated.
An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light.
A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
Mathematics A negative quantity.
tr.v.
neg·a·tived, neg·a·tiv·ing, neg·a·tives
To refuse to approve; veto.
To deny; contradict.
To demonstrate to be false; disprove.
To counteract or neutralize.
[Middle English, from Old French negatif, from Latin negātīvus, from negātus, past participle of negāre, to deny; see negate.] neg'a·tive·ly adv., neg'a·tive·ness, neg'a·tiv'i·ty (-tĭv'ĭ-tē) n.
n. any drawback or bad thing about someone or something. : There are too many negatives associated with your plan.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
negative (adj.)
c.1400, from O.Fr. negatif (fem. negative), 13c., from L. negativus, from negare (see deny). The electricity sense is from 1799. The noun is c.1380 in the sense "a prohibition;" in the photographic sense first recorded 1853. Negativism is 1824 as "the policy of opposition;" in a psychological sense, it is attested from 1892.
"Negative Capability, that is when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." [John Keats, letter, Dec. 21, 1817]
photographic image that reproduces the bright portions of the photographed subject as dark and the dark parts as light areas. Negatives are usually formed on a transparent material, such as plastic or glass. Exposure of sensitized paper through the negative, done either by placing the negative and paper in close contact or by projecting the negative image onto the paper, reverses these tones and produces a positive photographic print.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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[neg-uh-tiv] 
adjective, noun, adverb, verb, -tived, -tiv⋅ing, interjection 
ə