Webster's English Dictionary

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negative

Cross references:
  1. deny                  
 
1. neg.a.tive \'neg-*t-iv\ \.neg-*-'tiv-*t-e-\ aj 1a: marked by denial, 
   prohibition, or refusal  1b1: denying a predicate of a subject or a part of 
   a subject {"no A is B " is a ~ proposition} 1b2: denoting the absence or 
   the contradictory of something {nonwhite  is a ~ term} 2a: lacking positive 
   qualities : DISAGREEABLE  2b: marked by features opposing constructive 
   treatment or development  3a: less than zero and opposite in sign to a 
   positive number that when add ed to the given number yields zero {-2 is a ~ 
   number} 3b: that is or generated in a direction opposite to an arbitrarily 
   chosen  regular direction or position {~ angle} 4a: being, relating to, or 
   charged with electricity of which the electron  is the elementary unit 4b: 
   gaining electrons  4c1: having lower electric potential and constituting 
   the part toward whic h the current flows from the external circuit {the ~ 
   pole} 4c2: constituting an electrode through which a stream of electrons 
   enters  the space between electrodes in an electron tube 5a: not affirming 
   the presence of the organism or condition in question <~ diagnosis} 5b: 
   directed or moving away from a source of stimulation {~ tropis m} 5c: less 
   than the pressure of the atmosphere {~ pressure}  6: having the light and 
   dark parts in approximately inverse order to those  of the original 
   photographic subject - neg.a.tive.ly av
2. negative n 1a: a proposition by which something is denied or 
   contradicted  1b1: a reply that indicates the withholding of assent : 
   REFUSAL  archaic  1b2: a right of veto  obs  1b3: an adverse vote : VETO  
   2: something that is the opposite or negation of something else  3a: an 
   expression (as the word no) of negation or denial  3b: a negative number  
   4: the side that upholds the contradictory proposition in a debate  5: the 
   plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell that is at the lower potenti al 6: 
   a negative photographic image on transparent material used for printing  
   positive pictures; also : the material that carries such an image 7: a 
   reverse impression taken from a piece of sculpture or ceramics 
3. negative vt 1a: to refuse assent to  1b1: to reject by or as if by a 
   vote  1b2: VETO  2: to demonstrate the falsity of : DISPROVE  3: DENY, 
   CONTRADICT  4: NEUTRALIZE, COUNTERACT