negatively
/nˈɛɡətɪvli/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.69 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
In a negative manner; so as to be damaging or not positive.
Example Sentences
- "How justly then might human law and Philosophy rise up against the righteousnesse of Moses, if this be true which our vulgar Divinity Fathers upon him, yeah upon God himselfe; not silently and only negatively to permit, but in his law to divulge a written and generall priviledge to commit and persist in unlawfull divorces with a high hand, with security and no ill fame […]"
- "1722, Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders, London: J. Cooke, 1765, p. 17, At last one of them asked me what a Gentlewoman was? that puzzled me much; but however, I explained myself negatively; that it was one that did not go to Service to do Housework […]"
- "Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively, by uniting our affections; the latter negatively, by restraining our vices."
- "Allow me to introduce myself—first, negatively. ¶ No landlord is my friend and brother, no chambermaid loves me, no waiter worships me, no boots admires and envies me."
- "Having the entire summer off from school negatively affects learning."
- "Tynesiders appear to be proud of their accents, according to the findings, but Brummies responded negatively to hearing their vowels on TV and radio, partly because they recognise they are ridiculed for them by some of their compatriots."
Etymology
Etymology tree English negative Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English negatively From negative + -ly.
Inflected Forms
more negatively (comparative)
most negatively (superlative)