negativ

adjective
negative
B1

negativ: adjective meaning negative (unfavorable, minus, or not positive). Gradable: comparative negativer, superlative am negativsten. Used attributively or predicatively; declines with noun endings. Antonym 'positiv'. No special preposition or reflexivity. Common in evaluations, test results, attitudes, or numbers in everyday speech.

Examples

Seine Reaktion war sehr negativ, also haben wir das Angebot abgelehnt.
His reaction was very negative, so we turned down the offer.
Der Test fiel negativ aus, obwohl die Symptome nur leicht waren.
The test came back negative, although the symptoms were only mild.

Details

GradableYes
Comparativenegativer
Superlativeam negativsten
ParticipleNo

Mnemonics

👁️Picture a red minus sign over a word to show something is 'negativ'
👂negative — looks and sounds similar in English

Notes

Used both for attitudes (a negative attitude) and test results (a negative result).

Category

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Related Words

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