negatives 1 of 2

Definition of negativesnext
plural of negative
1
as in vetoes
a vote or decision against something in the absence of an unambiguous negative from the commander, we decided to continue on the mission

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in opposites
something that is as different as possible from something else the desire to control another person is actually the negative of real love

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negatives

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of negative
1
as in downs
to reject by or as if by a vote although the rebuttal was very eloquent, the jury negatived it in favor of the prosecution's argument we promptly negatived the idea of having pizza again for dinner, noting that we had already had it for three nights that week

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of negatives
Noun
Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s vice president for women’s basketball, told ESPN the positives outweigh the negatives. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026 The collection includes not only new scans from the original camera negatives but also several hours of interviews and visual essays that provide essential context for these movies, both within Italian genre cinema and Margheriti’s filmography. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2026 Hyland and fellow reserve Naz Reid both were plus-26 in the win, while three of Minnesota’s starters finished in the negatives. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2026 The Angels balanced some of those negatives by getting an unexpected breakthrough from outfielder Jo Adell and better health from Trout, who had only played 29 games in 2024. Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026 That came with pluses and negatives, but mostly the former, according to Alexa. Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026 This helps kids look for the positives in their siblings rather than the negatives. David Sparrow, Parents, 10 Mar. 2026 Let’s get the negatives out of the way. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026 Many works of Georges Méliès are even believed to have been burned as the original negatives, as the nitrate film stock is incredibly fragile and inflammable. Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negatives
Noun
  • Legislators' goal is to get the bill approved and sent to Beshear by the end of the month, so any vetoes from the governor can be overridden when lawmakers gavel back in briefly in mid-April.
    Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
  • That will be considered by the rest of the Legislature on Thursday, the final day of the annual legislative session except for a day to consider vetoes from the governor on March 30.
    Meghan O'Brien & Seth Tupper, States Newsroom, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.
    Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Sparks and bullets fly when these opposites are partnered to track down a billion-dollar cache of deadly opioids stolen from the vault of a multinational pharmaceutical company that threaten to flood the streets of Chicago.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • For hitters, there are advantages and disadvantages, and the time of challenges is important — both in the count and when, in the course of a game, a dispute might be raised.
    Neil Nakahodo, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Yet access is uneven, and many countries outside these major power centers face structural disadvantages.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.
    Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
  • But Sarah Graves gives a bit too much room and Penn downs a 3-pointeron the wing.
    Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 30 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Charter, which denies wrongdoing, argued in its motion to dismiss that any damages paid to the family for Lyons’ death should come from a worker’s compensation claim, not a wrongful death lawsuit.
    Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
  • In her statement to Vanity Fair, Kathrin denies the company was in difficulties.
    Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Insurance bad faith claims can stem from different factors, including when an insurance company refuses to settle a claim within policy limits and therefore risks exposing its client to a larger liability at trial.
    Madeline King, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Yanbu route only partly offsets the hit to supply from shutting Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels a day of crude shipments passed before the war.
    Emma Ross-Thomas, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
  • House Republicans want to return $500 million annually to the middle class by expanding an income tax credit that offsets a portion of municipal property tax bills.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Olsson rejects The Athletic’s offer to take cover inside the coffee shop.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • If the council rejects the one-year contract — which would cost $150,000 and provide 50 cameras at a maximum of 20 intersections — Johnston’s administration has said the program will shut down.
    Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Negatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negatives. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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