1
general::
adj. only thinking about/showing sb/sth's bad qualities VERBS be, feel, seem, sound | become | remain ADV. distinctly, extremely, strongly, terribly, very the strongly negative implications of these survey results Their attitude was terribly negative. | completely, entirely, exclusively, purely, totally, wholly She spoke in entirely negative terms. | largely, mainly, overwhelmingly | fairly, rather, slightly, somewhat | apparently | essentially Critical thinking is essentially negative as it seeks to dissect and not to build. | generally PREP. about He's been rather negative about the idea. showing that sth has not happened/been found VERBS be, prove, test The breathalyser test proved negative. He tested negative for HIV infection. PREP. for The urine tests were negative for protein., noun denial VERB + NEGATIVE answer (sth) in, reply in She answered the question in the negative. developed photographic film ADJ. original | photographic | film, glass QUANT. strip VERB + NEGATIVE produce | develop His interest in photography started with him developing negatives that he found lying around the house. | keep We must assume that the spy kept the negatives. | destroy
Oxford Collocations Dictionary