negate

Everyday

1. (formal) To negate something is to cancel it out or make it have no effect. tree →
2. (formal) To negate a statement is to deny it or say it is not true. tree →
3. (grammar) To negate a sentence is to make it negative, for example by adding «not». tree →

In the lessons

In formal and exam writing: «eating a cake negates the effect of the run». In grammar: «I like peas» negated is «I don't like peas». In maths and logic: negating a number gives its opposite (5 → -5).

Examples

• Eating junk food can negate the good of exercising. tree →
• One rude word can negate a hundred kind ones. tree →
• Negate the sentence by adding «not». tree →
• The new evidence negated his story. tree →
• In maths, negating 7 gives -7. tree →
• The rain negated all our watering. tree →

Note

Formal word; everyday: cancel out, undo. Noun: negation; adjective: negative. Maths: the negation of a number has the same size but the opposite sign.