negative

A2 · Elementary Mathematics

adj. describing a number that is less than zero.

adj. denoting a quantity less than zero; represented by the minus sign.

日本語:マイナス※

Español:negativo

“The temperature dropped to negative five degrees last night.”

“The company reported negative growth for the third consecutive quarter, sparking concerns among the major shareholders.”

B1 · Intermediate Medicine

adj. showing that a disease or condition was not found.

adj. indicating that a specific substance, condition, or microorganism was not detected in a clinical test.

日本語:陰性※

“He was relieved when his COVID test came back negative.”

“The biopsy results were fortunately negative, ruling out the presence of malignant cells in the tissue sample.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Science Technical

adj. having the kind of electrical charge that electrons have.

adj. having an electrical charge opposite to that of a proton; associated with an excess of electrons.

“The negative terminal of the battery is marked with a minus sign.”

“Electrons carry a negative charge and orbit the nucleus of an atom in specific energy levels.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a bad feature or a disadvantage.

n. a disadvantageous or undesirable quality or aspect.

“The job has a high salary, but the long hours are a big negative.”

“When weighing the pros and cons of the merger, the board focused on the potential negatives regarding staff retention.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Photography

n. an image where light areas look dark and dark areas look light.

n. a photographic image made on film or glass in which the light and dark areas are reversed.

“He kept the negatives in a box so he could print more photos later.”

“The archivist carefully handled the glass negatives, ensuring that the historical images were preserved for digital scanning.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Linguistics Technical

n. a word or statement that means 'no' or 'not'.

n. a word, phrase, or statement that expresses denial or refusal.

“In English, 'not' and 'never' are common negatives.”

“The witness answered in the negative when asked if he had seen the defendant on the night of the crime.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Formal

interj. a formal or military way to say 'no'.

interj. used as a substitute for 'no' in radio communications or formal contexts to ensure clarity.

“Negative, we have not reached the target yet.”

“The pilot responded with a crisp 'negative' when air traffic control asked if the runway was in sight.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

v. to stop something from having an effect.

v. to neutralize or counteract the effect of something; to render ineffective.

“The player's great goal was negatived by a mistake at the end of the game.”

“The advantages of the new tax policy were largely negatived by the sudden rise in inflation rates.”