Definition of "negative" []

• Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial: gave a negative answer to our request. (adjective)
• Indicating opposition or resistance: a negative reaction to the new advertising campaign. (adjective)
• Lacking positive or constructive features, especially: (adjective)
• Unpleasant; disagreeable: had a negative experience on his first job. (adjective)
• Gloomy; pessimistic: a negative outlook. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And the nearer such part or section may be to the negative pole in the positive post, so much the more _negative_ it will be."
• "So it is still true that on the negative half of the circuit, the _negative_ qualities _diminish_ as we advance towards the central point just as on the positive half, the _positive_ qualities diminish regularly towards the central point, as stated above."
• "Its negative pole is the _negative electrode_ in contact with the positive end or pole of magnet No. 2, and its positive pole is the _wire end of the cord_ in the negative post."