negative

Definition

  • noun: something that is harmful or bad
  • noun: a reply that indicates the withholding of assent
  • verb: to refuse assent to
  • adjective: harmful or bad
  • adjective: marked by denial, prohibition, or refusal
  • synonyms: cassandra-like, cassandran, cassandrian

Examples

  • The senator is running a 'negative' campaign. [=a campaign that criticizes the other candidate instead of saying what good things the senator wants to do]

  • 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]

  • Since the positives outweigh the 'negatives', I'm going to take the job. [=there are more good things about the job than bad things]

Movie clips

Movie quotes

  • (..) Mike, I can tell you're down, but trust me on this. You're looking at Scarlet kicking you out of the house... ...and the kids wanting nothing to do with you as a negative, when in fact... - I guess it's mostly negative, isn't it? - Well, yeah. I had no upside for that. Hey! You're getting that (..)
    2009 17 Again