Meaning & use
negative perceptions
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Meanings
nounplural
Unfavorable opinions or impressions that people have about someone or something.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; the singular form is 'negative perception'.
Patterns
- negative perceptions of something
- negative perceptions about someone
- challenge negative perceptions
- reinforce negative perceptions
The campaign aims to change negative perceptions of the city.
Negative perceptions about the product spread quickly on social media.
Teachers work hard to overcome negative perceptions of their school.
nounplural
A general belief that something is bad or undesirable, often based on limited information.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of' or 'about' to name the target.
Patterns
- negative perceptions of something
- negative perceptions among people
Negative perceptions of the reform were common among older voters.
The survey measured negative perceptions among first-year students.
Word forms
| singular | negative perception |
|---|
Common combinations
- challenge negative perceptions
- The documentary challenges negative perceptions of refugees.
- negative perceptions of something
- Negative perceptions of the brand hurt sales.
- negative perceptions about someone
- She spoke openly about negative perceptions about her accent.
- reinforce negative perceptions
- Stereotypes in the media reinforce negative perceptions.
- overcome negative perceptions
- The team overcame negative perceptions by improving customer service.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bad image
- More informal and often used for companies or celebrities; 'negative perceptions' is broader and more academic.
- unfavorable views
- Similar meaning but slightly more formal and less common in everyday speech.
- prejudice
- Stronger; it suggests an unfair opinion formed without reason, while 'negative perceptions' can be based on experience.
Opposites
Word family
- perceive verb
- to notice or become aware of something
- perception noun
- an idea, belief, or impression
- perceptive adjective
- good at noticing or understanding things
- perceptively adverb
- in a way that shows good understanding
Commonly confused: negative perceptions or misperceptions?
negative perceptions vs misperceptions
'Misperceptions' means wrong or mistaken beliefs, while 'negative perceptions' are unfavorable but not necessarily false.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'negative perceptions' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Negative perceptions' is a plural noun phrase, so it works as the subject of a sentence, as in option 1. The other options try to use it as a verb or with the wrong grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “negative perceptions”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.