negativeness
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neg·a·tive
(nĕg′ə-tĭv)adj.
1.
a. Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial: gave a negative answer to our request.
b. Indicating opposition or resistance: a negative reaction to the new advertising campaign.
2. Lacking positive or constructive features, especially:
a. Unpleasant; disagreeable: had a negative experience on his first job.
b. Gloomy; pessimistic: a negative outlook.
c. Unfavorable or detrimental: a negative review; a negative effect on the child's development.
d. Hostile or disparaging; malicious: ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
3. Medicine Not indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
4. Philosophy Of or relating to non-being or the absence of qualities rather than being or the possession of qualities: the purely negative virtue of unselfishness.
5. Logic Designating a proposition that denies agreement between a subject and its predicate.
6. Mathematics
a. Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
b. Of or relating to the sign (-).
c. Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
d. Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
7. Physics
a. Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (-).
b. Of or relating to a body that has more electrons than protons.
8. Chemistry Of or relating to an ion, the anion, that is attracted to a positive electrode.
9. Biology Moving or turning away from a stimulus, such as light: a negative tropism.
n.
1. A statement or act indicating or expressing a contradiction, denial, or refusal.
2.
a. A statement or act that is highly critical of another or of others: campaign advertising that was based solely on negatives.
b. Something that lacks all positive, affirmative, or encouraging features; an element that is the counterpoint of the positive: "Life is full of overwhelming odds. You can't really eliminate the negatives but you can diminish them" (Art Linkletter).
c. A feature or characteristic that is not deemed positive, affirmative, or desirable: "As voters get to know his liberal views, his negatives will rise" (Richard M. Nixon).
3. Grammar A word or part of a word, such as no, not, or non-, that indicates negation. See Usage Note at double negative.
4. The side in a debate that contradicts or opposes the question being debated.
5.
a. An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light.
b. A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
6. Mathematics A negative quantity.
tr.v. neg·a·tived, neg·a·tiv·ing, neg·a·tives
1. To refuse to approve; veto.
2. To deny; contradict.
3. To demonstrate to be false; disprove.
4. To counteract or neutralize.
[Middle English, from Old French negatif, from Latin negātīvus, from negātus, past participle of negāre, to deny; see negate.]
neg′a·tive·ly adv.
neg′a·tive·ness, neg′a·tiv′i·ty (-tĭv′ĭ-tē) n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | negativeness - the character of the negative electric pole polarity, sign - having an indicated pole (as the distinction between positive and negative electric charges); "he got the polarity of the battery reversed"; "charges of opposite sign" positiveness, positivity - the character of the positive electric pole |
| 2. | negativeness - characterized by habitual skepticism and a disagreeable tendency to deny or oppose or resist suggestions or commands quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare positiveness, positivism, positivity - a quality or state characterized by certainty or acceptance or affirmation and dogmatic assertiveness | |
| 3. | negativeness - an amount less than zero amount - the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion; "an adequate amount of food for four people" positiveness, positivity - an amount greater than zero |
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