describing something bad, harmful, or not hopeful
After reading the negative reviews, we chose a different restaurant.
His negative attitude made it hard to enjoy the trip.
✦ From Latin negativus, from negare “to deny.”
being smaller than zero in value
On the number line, minus five is a negative number.
The company reported negative profits last quarter.
✦ Applied to numbers in the 18th century as mathematics developed symbols for quantities less than zero.
showing that something is not present, especially in a test or check
Her COVID-19 test came back negative.
The soil sample was negative for dangerous chemicals.
✦ Specialized medical use developed in the early 20th century with the rise of laboratory testing.
a piece of photographic film that shows light areas as dark and is used to make printed photos
The photographer carefully stored each negative in a protective sleeve.
We reprinted our grandparents’ wedding photo from an old negative.
✦ First used in photography in the 1830s when early cameras produced reversed light-dark images on sensitized material.
a word, vote, or statement that means refusal or disagreement
When asked to join the project, he gave a firm negative.
The committee recorded three negatives and seven positives.
✦ Sense of “word of denial” dates back to Middle English, following Latin negativum ‘denial.’
