negation

[ ni-gey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of denying:

   He shook his head in negation of the charge.

2. a denial:

   a negation of one's former beliefs.

3. something that is without existence; nonentity.
4. the absence or opposite of something that is actual, positive, or affirmative:

   Darkness is the negation of light.

5. a negative statement, idea, concept, doctrine, etc.; a contradiction, refutation, or rebuttal:

   a shameless lie that demands a negation.

negation

/ nɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. the opposite or absence of something
2. a negative thing or condition
3. the act or an instance of negating
4. logic
   1. the operator that forms one sentence from another and corresponds to the English not
   2. a sentence so formed. It is usually written –p, ~p, ̄p or ⇁ p , where p is the given sentence, and is false when the given sentence is true, and true when it is false

Other Words From

• ne·gation·al adjective
• ne·gation·ist noun
• nonne·gation noun
• rene·gation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of negation¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin negātiōn-, stem of negātiō “denial”; equivalent to negate + -ion

Example Sentences

Tea Party politicians had campaigned on a platform of policy negation and government shutdown, and they achieved their aims.

From Time

If you have $300,000 to $400,000 in liability and get $100,000 in negation value, you’re losing money on the deal.

From Digiday

This is just such a negation of the progress that we’ve made.

From Voice of San Diego

The first hurdle to restarting stimulus negations was cleared Tuesday when Democratic and Republican leaders came to terms on a stop-gap funding bill that would avert a government shutdown at the end of September.

From Fortune

Negation: Were there any related denying stories competing for attention?

From The Daily Beast

It ended as a morality play about the failure to protect civil liberties…[and] the complete negation of the evidence of abuse.

From The Daily Beast

“Richard Phillips: Negation of the Universe” will be on display at Dallas Contemporary through August 10, 2014.

From The Daily Beast

In order to build a Jewish nation and society, Zionists classically engaged in “negation of the Diaspora,” or shlilat hagolah.

From The Daily Beast

And that treatise of Van de Water, the Belgian, on the sublimation of the sub-conscious by the negation of the self-censor.

From Project Gutenberg

"Oh, don't undertake to deny your eccentric taste," she returns, checking a negation on Adolphe's lips.

From Project Gutenberg

That old Spanish art of religion and dogma was changed under his hands to an art of negation and sarcasm.

From Project Gutenberg

He bellowed an angry command, but the Bugi closed his eyes and lowered his head resignedly, nodding in negation.

From Project Gutenberg

She sat absolutely still and made no sign except that of her obstinate face of negation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antithesis
• renunciation
• repudiation