negatory

The pilot responded with a clear "negatory" to the control tower's request.

Definition

Adjective: Expressing denial, refusal, or negation; serving to deny or contradict something.

Usage Examples

• (A response that denies or refuses.)
• (An attitude of refusal or denial.)

Advanced Usage

• "In the negatory": in a state of denial or refusal.

  • The committee's answer was entirely in the negatory, rejecting every suggestion. (The answer was completely negative or denying.)

• Negatory as a formal alternative: used in legal or technical contexts to indicate a formal denial.

  • The defendant filed a negatory plea, denying all allegations. (A plea that denies the charges.)

Variants and Related Words

• Negate (verb): to deny the existence or truth of something.

  • The evidence negates his alibi. (The evidence disproves his alibi.)

• Negation (noun): the action or logical operation of denying or contradicting.

  • The negation of the statement was clear. (The denial of the statement was obvious.)

• Negative (adjective/adverb): expressing denial or refusal; opposite of positive.

  • She gave a negative answer. (She said no.)

Synonyms

• Denying: refusing to admit the truth or existence of something.
• Contradictory: asserting the opposite of a statement.
• Refuting: proving a statement or claim to be false.

Related Idioms

• Give someone the negatory: to reject or refuse someone's request.

  • When he asked for a raise, his boss gave him the negatory. (His boss refused.)

• In the negative: expressing denial or refusal.

  • The vote was in the negative, so the motion failed. (The vote was against the proposal.)

Notes

• "Negatory" is less common than "negative" and is often used in formal, legal, or technical writing. It may sound archaic or overly formal in everyday conversation.