negativeadjective
uk/ˈneɡ.ə.tɪv/us/ˈneɡ.ə.t̬ɪv/negative adjective (NO)
B2 expressing "no":
A2 A negative sentence or phrase is one that contains a word such as "not", "no", "never", or "nothing":
More examples
- The negative reply to my complaint really irked me.
- The negative reply dashed his spirits.
- They gave a negative response to our request for help.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Yes, no & not
- anything
- bet
- betcha
- does a bear/do bears shit in the woods? idiom
- fear
- hear, hear! idiom
- hell
- much
- no dice idiom
- no way idiom
- noes
- not by any manner of means idiom
- not so much sth as sth idiom
- not that idiom
- nothing doing idiom
- perish the thought idiom
- see sb in hell before ... idiom
- think
- yea or nay idiom
- yes
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
negative adjective (WITHOUT HOPE)
B1 not expecting good things, or likely to consider only the bad side of a situation:
More examples
- She used cognitive therapy on her client to try to inhibit those negative thoughts that were damaging his self-esteem.
- Children's negative feelings often get acted out in bad behaviour.
- There's no need to be so negative about things.
- He's feeling very negative about his exams.
- Why are you being so negative?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Not hopeful
- be in a funk idiom
- be on a hiding to nothing idiom
- chance
- defeatist
- dejected
- dim
- give up on sb/sth
- gloomy
- glum
- grim
- hiding
- hope
- lose
- negativity
- not give much for sb's chances idiom
- not have a hope in hell idiom
- pessimism
- pessimistic
- prophet
- win
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negative adjective (BAD)
B2 bad or harmful:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Dangerous and harmful
- adverse
- apocalyptic
- biohazard
- corrosive
- damaging
- deleterious
- do more harm than good idiom
- favour
- forbidding
- gnarly
- harm
- harmful
- kiss
- not do sb any favours idiom
- penal
- pernicious
- rogue
- ruinous
- self-destruct
- toxic
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negative adjective (ELECTRICITY)
of the type of electrical charge that is carried by electrons
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Electricity & electronics
- anodize
- anti-static
- chargeable
- charger
- conduction
- destructive interference
- electric
- electric field
- electromagnetic
- electrostatic
- flow
- generation
- ground
- homing
- input
- linesman
- rechargeable
- resistor
- solid-state
- transistorized
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negative adjective (TEST RESULTS)
(of a medical test) showing that the patient does not have the disease or condition for which he or she has been tested:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
General bodily disorders
- add
- ADHD
- albinism
- anal fissure
- cirrhosis
- collapsed
- dicky
- diseased
- dysfunction
- froth
- gammy
- heat exhaustion
- infarction
- metabolic disorder
- prolapse
- rheumatic
- rupture
- suppurate
- systemic
- ulceration
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negative adjective (BELOW ZERO)
(of a number or amount) less than zero:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Terms for numbers
- additive inverse
- aliquot
- common denominator
- common factor
- common multiple
- cos
- exponent
- fivefold
- fold
- fortyfold
- fourfold
- GCF
- hundredfold
- odd
- recurring number
- remainder
- resultant
- sevenfold
- seventyfold
- weighting
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negative adjective (BLOOD TYPE)
not having the rhesus factor in the blood:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
The circulatory system & blood
- Abo
- accessory pathway
- atrioventricular
- auricular
- blood donor
- blood sugar
- capillary
- erectile
- intravenous
- LV
- mediastinal
- microvascular
- myocardial
- myocarditis
- oxyhaemoglobin
- palpitate
- pressure point
- pulse
- Rh factor
- semilunar valve
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negativenoun
uk/ˈneɡ.ə.tɪv/us/ˈneɡ.ə.t̬ɪv/negative noun (PHOTOGRAPH)
[ C ] informal neg a piece of film from which a photograph can be produced, and in which light and dark areas appear the opposite to the way in which they appear in the photograph:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Photography
- airbrush
- aperture
- camera
- camera obscura
- camera-shy
- capture
- exposure
- high-resolution
- hologram
- holography
- kinetoscope
- lo-res
- say cheese idiom
- selfie
- sharp
- shoot
- shutter
- slide
- SLR camera
- snapshot
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negative noun (NO)
[ C or U ] a word or statement that expresses "no":
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Yes, no & not
- anything
- bet
- betcha
- does a bear/do bears shit in the woods? idiom
- fear
- hear, hear! idiom
- hell
- much
- no dice idiom
- no way idiom
- noes
- not by any manner of means idiom
- not so much sth as sth idiom
- not that idiom
- nothing doing idiom
- perish the thought idiom
- see sb in hell before ... idiom
- think
- yea or nay idiom
- yes
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negative noun (BAD THING)
[ C ] a bad feature or characteristic: