negatively

negatively — adverb

1. giving the answer 'no' when asked whether you agree or want something — for exam

1.adverbB2
Definition

giving the answer 'no' when asked whether you agree or want something — for example, by shaking your head, refusing an offer, or voting against a proposal

Example

When the waiter asked if she wanted dessert, Élise shook her head negatively.

body language + negatively: shake one's head negatively

Rohan responded negatively to the job offer after reading the employment contract.

respond negatively to [proposal/offer]

Common collocations
  • answer negatively
  • respond negatively
  • react negatively
  • shake one's head negatively
  • vote negatively
Synonyms
  • in the negative

    more formal; used in official contexts such as legal or diplomatic replies

  • no

    one-word answer; less formal and not adverbial in structure

Antonyms
  • positively

    the direct opposite; responding with agreement or acceptance

  • affirmatively

    more formal; giving a 'yes' answer in official settings

Grammar Patterns

verb + negatively

answer/respond/reply + negatively

Usage Note

Common with verbs of communication such as answer, respond, reply, vote, and shake (one's head). The opposite meaning is expressed by affirmatively or positively.

Common Mistakes

She negatively responded to the question.
She responded negatively to the question.
in most cases negatively comes after the verb, not before it.

2. producing damage, loss, or an unwanted result — for example, when pollution harm

2.adverbB2
Definition

producing damage, loss, or an unwanted result — for example, when pollution harms a river or lack of sleep weakens your health

Example

Chemical waste from the old factory has affected the local river negatively for many years.

affect [something] negatively — cause harm over time

Sleeping fewer than six hours negatively impacts a teenager's concentration in class.

negatively impact [something] — common pattern with health/academic topics

Common collocations
  • affect negatively
  • impact negatively
  • influence negatively
  • negatively affect
  • negatively impact
  • negatively influence
Synonyms
  • adversely

    more formal; common in legal, medical, and academic texts

  • detrimentally

    formal; stresses serious or lasting harm

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

affect/impact/influence + noun phrase + negatively

negatively + affect/impact + noun phrase

Usage Note

Can appear before or after the verb: 'negatively affected' and 'affected negatively' are both correct, though the pre-verb position (negatively + verb) is more common in formal written English.

Common Mistakes

The medicine affected negatively his health.
The medicine negatively affected his health.' or 'The medicine affected his health negatively.
when used pre-verbally, negatively cannot separate the verb from a following object.

3. focusing only on the bad parts of a situation, ignoring the good ones — expectin

3.adverbB2
Definition

focusing only on the bad parts of a situation, ignoring the good ones — expecting that things will turn out badly

Example

Quan tends to think negatively about his exam results before the papers are even marked.

think negatively about [something] — pessimistically assess a situation

The nurse told Yan that thinking negatively could slow down her recovery after surgery.

Common collocations
  • think negatively
  • view negatively
  • see negatively
  • look at negatively
  • regard negatively
Synonyms
  • pessimistically

    more precise but less common in everyday speech; carries a stronger sense of habitual gloom

  • cynically

    suggests distrust of others' motives, not just a lack of hope

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

think/view/see + noun phrase + negatively

verb + negatively + about

Usage Note

Often used with verbs of thinking or judging: think, view, see, look at, regard. Unlike sense 1 (SAY NO), this sense is about internal attitude rather than an outward response to an offer or question.

Common Mistakes

He thought negative about the plan.
He thought negatively about the plan.
the adverbial form negatively is required, not the adjective negative.

4. having the electrical property that electrons show — written with a minus sign (

4.adverbB2
Definition

having the electrical property that electrons show — written with a minus sign (−) in science and almost always paired with the word 'charged'

Example

When Christopher rubbed the balloon against his woollen jumper, it became negatively charged.

become negatively charged — change in electrical state

The negatively charged plate attracts the positive ions during the physics experiment.

negatively charged plate — standard lab equipment description

Common collocations
  • negatively charged
  • become negatively charged
  • charge negatively
  • negatively charged plate
  • negatively charged particle
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • positively

    relating to the type of charge carried by protons

Grammar Patterns

negatively charged + noun

become + negatively + charged

Usage Note

Almost always appears with the past participle charged (negatively charged). The opposite term is positively charged. This sense is restricted to physics and electronics contexts.

Common Mistakes

The battery is negatively.
The battery is negatively charged.
negatively alone does not describe an electrical state; it must be paired with charged or a similar participle.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

Negatively is the most general and widely used of these four words. It can describe any harmful or damaging effect, from health to business to the environment. Adversely is more formal and typically appears in legal, medical, or official reports (e.g., 'adversely affected by the new regulations'). Detrimentally carries a stronger sense of lasting or serious harm — it suggests the damage is hard to undo. Harmfully focuses on the direct physical or emotional injury caused. In everyday speech, negatively is the natural choice; adversely and detrimentally belong in academic or professional writing. For example: 'The factory negatively affected the river' (neutral, factual) vs. 'The pollution detrimentally damaged the ecosystem' (stronger, more dramatic).

negatively ↗adversely ↗detrimentallyharmfully

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • affect negatively
  • impact negatively
  • respond negatively
  • react negatively
  • think negatively
  • view negatively
  • negatively charged

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Negatively comes from the Latin word negare, meaning 'to say no.' This became negativus ('that denies') in Late Latin, then négatif in French, and negative in English. The adverb form negatively was formed by adding -ly to negative, following the common English pattern for turning adjectives into adverbs. The scientific sense related to electrical charge emerged in the 1700s, when Benjamin Franklin used positive and negative to describe two opposite types of electricity.