negatively
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a way that causes problems or has a bad result.
in a manner that is damaging, detrimental, or produces an unfavourable outcome.
Simple“The loud noise from the construction site affected the students' concentration negatively.”
In context“Economists warned that the proposed tax increases would likely affect consumer spending negatively over the next fiscal year.”
UsageOften follows the verb it modifies, particularly when used with 'affect' or 'impact'.
SynonymsAntonymspositivelybeneficially - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a way that shows you are thinking about the bad parts of a situation.
expressing a lack of optimism, enthusiasm, or approval.
Simple“He always speaks negatively about his job, even though he earns a good salary.”
In context“The critics reacted negatively to the director's experimental approach, citing a lack of narrative cohesion in the second act.”
SynonymspessimisticallycriticallyAntonymsoptimisticallyenthusiastically - 03 C1 Advanced
answering with the word 'no' or refusing a request.
in the form of a negative response or refusal; used to indicate a 'no' answer.
Simple“When asked if he wanted to lead the project, he responded negatively.”
In context“The board of directors voted negatively on the merger proposal, effectively ending the acquisition talks.”
UsageCommonly used with verbs of communication like 'respond', 'answer', or 'vote'.
SynonymsAntonymsaffirmatively
Usage assign negatively · negatively affect · negatively associate
“Among those affected, four in 10 (44%) workers reported that their well-being had been negatively affected by drought, while nearly three-quarters (72%) said they had been negatively affected by extreme heat events.”
“Importantly, the therapy did not negatively affect sleep.”
From negative + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.