French word

négatif

Pronunciation

IPA/negatif/

Meaning

  • adjectivenegative

Example

Sa remarque était très négative.

The remark was very negative.

Illustration for négatif (negative)

More examples

Les spectateurs ont laissé des avis négatifs sur le film.

The spectators left negative opinions about the film.

Core concept

A judgment with its focus on faults, problems, or unfavorable aspects.

Common phrases

  • avis négatif

    negative opinion

  • commentaire négatif

    negative comment

  • message négatif

    negative message

Similar words

pessimiste: Expecting events to turn out badly.
critique: Taking a strict approach that points out problems and weaknesses.

Definition in French

Qui exprime une opinion défavorable ou une tendance à juger les choses de façon critique.

Word origin

French négatif comes from Latin negativus, formed from negare, meaning 'to deny', with the suffix -ivus.

Usage tips

  • The adjective agrees in gender: négatif is masculine and négative is feminine, with plural forms négatifs and négatives.

Opposites

Related words

  • négativiténegativitynoun
  • négativementnegativelyadverb

Word lists with this word