Word
negation
Phoneticsnega·tion
US/nəˈɡeɪʃən/
UK/nɪɡˈeɪʃən/
Definition
n. the act of saying that something is not true or does not exist. You use this when you want to deny a statement.
n. the act of denying the truth or existence of something; the logical operation that produces a statement with the opposite truth value.
Examples
“The negation of 'the sky is blue' is 'the sky is not blue'.”
“In formal logic, the negation of a proposition is often represented by the symbol ¬.”
“The philosopher argued that the negation of a universal statement is not merely a simple 'no' but a complex assertion of the existence of a counterexample.”
Examples
simple
“The negation of 'the sky is blue' is 'the sky is not blue'.”
contextual
“In formal logic, the negation of a proposition is often represented by the symbol ¬.”
complex
“The philosopher argued that the negation of a universal statement is not merely a simple 'no' but a complex assertion of the existence of a counterexample.”
Real-World Examples
“If a chatbot says "not happy" rather than "sad," users are more likely to use a negation in their reply, Blevins said.” “The style mostly takes shape through negation, often of the obvious AI tells, like lists of three, passive voice, not x but y , and em dashes.” Etymology
From Middle English negacioun, from Old French negacion, from Latin negātiō (“a denial; negative word”). Morphologically negate + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/negation