Meaning & use
negativity
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Meanings
noununcountabledisapproving
A tendency to see the bad side of things, or an attitude that is pessimistic and unhelpful.
Grammar: No plural: there was too much negativity.
Patterns
- negativity about something
- too much negativity
The constant negativity in the office made everyone tired.
She tried to ignore the negativity of online comments.
His negativity about the plan discouraged the others.
noununcountabletechnical
The state or quality of being negative in a scientific or electrical sense, such as having a negative charge.
Grammar: A technical sense: negativity of a charge.
Patterns
- the negativity of something
Chemists measure the negativity of an atom's pull on electrons.
The negativity of the charge made the particles repel.
Electronegativity describes the negativity of an atom in a bond.
Common combinations
- constant negativity
- Constant negativity at work wore her down.
- spread negativity
- One complaint can spread negativity through a team.
- fight negativity
- She tried to fight negativity with humor.
- avoid negativity
- He avoids negativity by limiting his time on social media.
- overcome negativity
- They overcame negativity with practical solutions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pessimism
- Pessimism is expecting bad outcomes, while negativity can also include complaining and criticism without hope.
- cynicism
- Cynicism is distrust of people's motives, a narrower attitude than negativity.
- gloom
- Gloom is a mood of sadness, whereas negativity is more like a mental habit.
- defeatism
- Defeatism is expecting to lose and giving up, while negativity does not necessarily involve giving up.
Opposites
Word family
- negative adjective
- bad, harmful or pessimistic
- negatively adverb
- in a bad or pessimistic way
- negate verb
- to cancel the effect of
- negativism noun
- a habit of opposing or doubting everything
Commonly confused: negativity or negativism?
negativity vs negativism
Negativism is a stubborn refusal to accept suggestions, while negativity is a general pessimistic attitude.
Practice
The coach asked the team to leave behind the ___ after the loss and focus on the next game.
Choose one answer.
Negativity is the pessimistic attitude that follows a loss. Enthusiasm would not need to be left behind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “negativity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.