- 1a word or statement that means “no”; a refusal or denial (formal) She answered in the negative (= said “no”). opposite affirmative in photography
- 2a developed film showing the dark areas of an actual scene as light and the light areas as dark Keep the negatives in case you want more prints later. compare positive
- 3the result of a test or an experiment that shows that a substance or condition is not present The percentage of false negatives generated by the cancer test is of great concern. opposite positive
no
Check pronunciation: negative