# negative

/ˈnɛɡətɪv/ (US) · /nˈɛɡətˌɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/negative
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. bad or unfavorable

adjective · CEFR A2

bad, harmful, or not helpful.

For teachers: expressing or containing a lack of positive or desirable qualities; unfavorable in nature.

- The movie received many negative reviews from critics who hated the ending.
- The constant negative feedback from his supervisor began to erode his confidence and affected his overall productivity.

### 2. less than zero

adjective · CEFR A2

describing a number that is less than zero.

For teachers: denoting a quantity less than zero; represented by the minus sign.

- 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.

### 3. medical results

adjective · CEFR B1

showing that a disease or condition was not found.

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

- 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.

### 4. electricity

adjective · CEFR B2 · Technical

having the kind of electrical charge that electrons have.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. a disadvantage

noun · CEFR B1

a bad feature or a disadvantage.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. photography

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 7. grammar/logic

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

### 8. saying no

interjection · CEFR B2 · Formal

a formal or military way to say 'no'.

For teachers: 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.

### 9. to cancel out

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to stop something from having an effect.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The plan has many positives but one major negative.
- When I asked if they wanted to join us, the answer was a firm negative.
- While the salary increase is welcome, the negative of a longer commute must be weighed against the financial gain before I sign the contract.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.