2negative noun
plural negatives [count] 1 : something that is harmful or bad
▪ One of the negatives [=drawbacks] of the house is that it's on a busy street. ▪ Since the positives outweigh the negatives, I'm going to take the job. [=there are more good things about the job than bad things] — opposite positive 2 : a word or statement that means “no” or that expresses a denial or refusal
▪ “No” and “not” are negatives. — see also double negative 3 : an image on film that is used to make a printed photograph and that has light areas where the photograph will be dark and dark areas where the photograph will be light ; also : the film that has such an image
▪ Can I have the negatives to make copies of the photos? — compare positive 4 : the result from a test that shows that a particular germ, condition, or substance is not present
▪ There is a high rate of false negatives for this test. [=this test often incorrectly indicates that something is not present when it really is] — opposite positive
▪ One of the negatives [=drawbacks] of the house is that it's on a busy street. ▪ Since the positives outweigh the negatives, I'm going to take the job. [=there are more good things about the job than bad things] — opposite positive
▪ “No” and “not” are negatives. — see also double negative
▪ Can I have the negatives to make copies of the photos? — compare positive
▪ There is a high rate of false negatives for this test. [=this test often incorrectly indicates that something is not present when it really is] — opposite positive
in the negative
formal : with a reply that means “no”
▪ She answered (the question) in the negative. [=she answered “no”] — compare in the affirmative at 2affirmative
▪ She answered (the question) in the negative. [=she answered “no”] — compare in the affirmative at 2affirmative
