Negative vs. Negate — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 24, 2024
"Negative" is an adjective describing something harmful, undesirable, or expressing disapproval, while "negate" is a verb meaning to nullify, invalidate, or make ineffective.
Difference Between Negative and Negate
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Negative" is used to characterize aspects that are harmful, less than zero, or express disapproval, such as negative feedback or negative numbers. On the other hand, "negate" refers to the action of making something ineffective or void, as in negating a statement or a theory.
In emotional contexts, "negative" describes feelings, attitudes, or emotions that are pessimistic or detrimental, like negative attitudes towards work. Conversely, "negate" involves actions that invalidate or counteract certain feelings or conditions, such as using positive affirmations to negate self-doubt.
When dealing with mathematics or science, "negative" can denote quantities less than zero or conditions that are unfavorable, like negative temperatures. In contrast, "negate" in these fields often means to cause an effect that completely nullifies another, such as forces that negate each other leading to a net force of zero.
In grammar, "negative" modifies nouns, adjectives, or other adverbs to convey opposition or the absence of something, such as negative space in art. "Negate," however, is used as a verb to describe the action of rendering something null, such as using a clause in a contract to negate responsibilities.
The usage of "negative" can also signal a prohibition or a directive against an action, like a negative command. Meanwhile, "negate" is more about the nullification of an existing condition or statement, emphasizing the cancellation or reversal of its effects.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective
Verb
Meaning
Describes something harmful, undesirable, or less than zero.
Means to nullify, invalidate, or make ineffective.
Use in Sentences
Often used to describe emotions, responses, or quantities.
Used to describe actions that counteract or nullify.
Example in Context
Negative feedback, negative numbers.
Negate a hypothesis, negate effects.
Effect
Creates a perception of something being unfavorable.
Acts to remove or reverse an effect or condition.
Compare with Definitions
Negative
Less than zero, especially in terms of numbers.
Temperatures dropped to negative degrees overnight.
Negate
To deny the truth of a statement.
He attempted to negate the accusations with his alibi.
Negative
Associated with harmful or undesirable outcomes.
The negative consequences of the decision became quickly apparent.
Negate
To cancel out or counteract.
The positive and negative charges negate each other.
Negative
In photography, an image showing inverted colors.
The old negatives were found in the attic, revealing photos from the 1920s.
Negate
To nullify an effect or condition.
The countermeasures were designed to negate the risk of flooding.
Negative
Characterizing the absence of positivity or approval.
The review outlined several negative aspects of the film.
Negate
To invalidate a legal rule or contract.
The clause in the contract effectively negates any early termination without penalties.
Negative
Expressing denial or refusal.
Her response was negative when asked about attending the event.
Negate
To make ineffective or void.
The new evidence could negate the prosecution's argument.
Negative
Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial
Gave a negative answer to our request.
Negate
To make ineffective or invalid; nullify
A wage increase that was negated by inflation.
A goal that was negated by an official's ruling.
Negative
Indicating opposition or resistance
A negative reaction to the new advertising campaign.
Negate
To make negative
In German, sentences can be negated by using the word "nicht.".
Negative
Unpleasant; disagreeable
Had a negative experience on his first job.
Negate
(Computers) To perform the machine logic operation NOT gate.
Negative
Gloomy; pessimistic
A negative outlook.
Negate
To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict.
The investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences.
Negative
Unfavorable or detrimental
A negative review.
A negative effect on the child's development.
Negate
To nullify or cause to be ineffective.
Progress on the study has been negated by the lack of funds.
Persecution can be negated through exposure.
Negative
Hostile or disparaging; malicious
Ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
Negate
To be negative; bring or cause negative results.
A pessimism that always negates
Negative
(Medicine) Not indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
Negate
(computing) To perform the NOT operation on.
Negative
(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.
Negate
Be in contradiction with
Negative
(Logic) Designating a proposition that denies agreement between a subject and its predicate.
Negate
Deny the truth of
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Negate
Prove negative; show to be false
Negative
Of or relating to the sign (−).
Negate
Make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of;
Her optimism neutralizes his gloom
This action will negate the effect of my efforts
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Negative
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.
Negative
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (−).
Negative
Of or relating to a body that has more electrons than protons.
Negative
(Chemistry) Of or relating to an ion, the anion, that is attracted to a positive electrode.
Negative
(Biology) Moving or turning away from a stimulus, such as light
A negative tropism.
Negative
A statement or act indicating or expressing a contradiction, denial, or refusal.
Negative
A statement or act that is highly critical of another or of others
Campaign advertising that was based solely on negatives.
Negative
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).
Negative
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).
Negative
(Grammar) A word or part of a word, such as no, not, or non-, that indicates negation. See Usage Note at double negative.
Negative
The side in a debate that contradicts or opposes the question being debated.
Negative
An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light. In a color negative, hues are also reversed so that each color is represented by its complementary color.
Negative
A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
Negative
(Mathematics) A negative quantity.
Negative
To refuse to approve; veto.
Negative
To deny; contradict.
Negative
To demonstrate to be false; disprove.
Negative
To counteract or neutralize.
Negative
Not positive nor neutral.
Negative
(physics) Of electrical charge of an electron and related particles
Negative
(mathematics) Of a number: less than zero
Negative
(weather) Less than zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Negative
Denying a proposition.
Negative
Damaging; undesirable; unfavourable.
The high exchange rate will have a negative effect on our profits.
Customers didn’t like it: feedback was mostly negative.
Negative
Pessimistic; not tending to see the bright side of things.
I don’t like to hang around him very much because he can be so negative about his petty problems.
Negative
Of or relating to a photographic image in which the colours of the original, and the relations of left and right, are reversed.
Negative
(chemistry) Metalloidal, nonmetallic; contrasted with positive or basic.
The nitro group is negative.
Negative
Often preceded by emotion, energy, feeling, or thought: to be avoided, bad, difficult, disagreeable, painful, potentially damaging, unpleasant, unwanted.
Negative
Characterized by the presence of features which do not support a hypothesis.
Negative
(slang) HIV negative.
Negative
(slang) COVID-19 negative.
Negative
Refusal or withholding of assents; prohibition, veto
Negative
An unfavorable point or characteristic.
Negative
(law) A right of veto.
Negative
(photography) An image in which dark areas represent light ones, and the converse.
Negative
(grammar) A word that indicates negation.
Negative
(mathematics) A negative quantity.
Negative
(weightlifting) A repetition performed with a weight in which the muscle begins at maximum contraction and is slowly extended; a movement performed using only the eccentric phase of muscle movement.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
(transitive) To refuse; to veto.
Negative
(transitive) To contradict.
Negative
(transitive) To disprove.
Negative
(transitive) To make ineffective; to neutralize, to negate.
Negative
No; nay.
Negative
Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; - opposed to affirmative.
If thou wilt confess,Or else be impudently negative.
Denying me any power of a negative voice.
Something between an affirmative bow and a negative shake.
Negative
Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; negative evidence; a negative morality; negative criticism.
There in another way of denying Christ, . . . which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him.
Negative
Asserting absence of connection between a subject and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.
Negative
Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or other material, in which the lights and shades of the original, and the relations of right and left, are reversed.
Negative
Metalloidal; nonmetallic; - contrasted with positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative.
Negative
A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a conception or term formed by prefixing the negative particle to one which is positive; an opposite or contradictory term or conception.
This is a known rule in divinity, that there is no command that runs in negatives but couches under it a positive duty.
Negative
A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
No wine ne drank she, neither white nor red.
These eyes that never did nor never shallSo much as frown on you.
Negative
The refusal or withholding of assents; veto.
If a kind without his kingdom be, in a civil sense, nothing, then . . . his negative is as good as nothing.
Negative
That side of a question which denies or refuses, or which is taken by an opposing or denying party; the relation or position of denial or opposition; as, the question was decided in the negative.
Negative
A picture upon glass or other material, in which the light portions of the original are represented in some opaque material (usually reduced silver), and the dark portions by the uncovered and transparent or semitransparent ground of the picture.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
To prove unreal or untrue; to disprove.
The omission or infrequency of such recitals does not negative the existence of miracles.
Negative
To reject by vote; to refuse to enact or sanction; as, the Senate negatived the bill.
Negative
To neutralize the force of; to counteract.
Negative
A reply of denial;
He answered in the negative
Negative
A piece of photographic film showing an image with black and white tones reversed
Negative
Vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent;
The President vetoed the bill
Negative
Characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features;
A negative outlook on life
A colorless negative personality
A negative evaluation
A negative reaction to an advertising campaign
A positive attitude
The reviews were all positive
A positive benefit
A positive demand
Negative
Reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
Negative
Having a negative electric charge;
Electrons are negative
Protons are positive
Negative
Expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
Negative
Having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant;
Ran a negative campaign
Delinquents retarded by their negative outlook on life
Negative
Not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a specific condition;
The HIV test was negative
Negative
Less than zero;
A negative number
Negative
Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions;
Negative criticism
Negative
Involving disadvantage or harm;
Minus (or negative) factors
Common Curiosities
Can the impact of a negative attitude be negated?
Yes, the impact of a negative attitude can often be negated with positive thinking, supportive environments, or other counteractive measures.
How does negate function in a sentence?
Negate functions as a verb meaning to invalidate, nullify, or make an effect or condition ineffective.
What is the meaning of negative?
Negative describes something harmful, undesirable, or expressing a lesser or opposite quality, such as below zero or disapproval.
Is it possible to negate a legal obligation?
Yes, legal obligations can be negated by specific conditions in a contract or by changes in law.
Can negate be used in emotional contexts?
Yes, one can negate feelings of fear or insecurity by confronting them with rational thoughts or reassurances.
Can negative perceptions be changed?
Negative perceptions can be changed through positive experiences, information, and understanding, effectively negating the original negative view.
Is negative always a bad thing?
Not necessarily; in some contexts, like photography or electrical charges, negative is just an opposite or differing state without an inherent value judgment.
What does it mean to negate an argument?
To negate an argument means to provide evidence or reasoning that invalidates or disproves it.
What are negative consequences?
Negative consequences are outcomes that are harmful, undesirable, or otherwise unfavorable.
Can a negative number be negated?
Yes, negating a negative number (e.g., -5 negated becomes +5) changes it to a positive number, essentially making the original number's effect void.
What is a negative command?
A negative command instructs not to perform an action, often using words like "do not" or "never."
How do negative feedback and negating feedback differ?
Negative feedback refers to criticism or corrective comments, while negating feedback would involve responses that invalidate or counter previous feedback.
What role does negativity play in decision-making?
Negativity can influence decision-making by causing caution or pessimism, potentially leading to more conservative choices.
How does negative energy differ from negating energy?
Negative energy refers to a detrimental or harmful force, while negating energy implies an energy that cancels or neutralizes another force.
How can one effectively negate misinformation?
Misinformation can be negated through the dissemination of accurate information, fact-checking, and education.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
