negate
Definitions
To deny the truth or existence of something; to contradict.
否定，否认（其真实性或存在）
To cancel out or make ineffective.
使无效，抵消
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedneg (say no, deny) + -ate (to make) = 'to no-out.' To negate is to say no to something hard enough that it no longer holds: you deny a claim (negate the rumor) or wipe out a result (the cost negates the savings). The second sense is the everyday one — two forces meeting and leaving zero.
Root neg still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
The most useful sense isn't 'deny' but 'cancel out.' When a gain and a loss are equal, the loss negates the gain — they sum to nothing. Think of it as the verb form of a minus sign: whatever negate touches, it brings down to zero or wipes off the board.
Common Collocations
- 1.negate the effect抵消影响
- 2.negate the benefit抵消好处
- 3.negate any savings抵消任何节省
- 4.negate a claim否认一个说法
Example Sentences
- 1.
The high shipping fees negate any savings from the discount.
- 2.
His rude behavior negated all the goodwill he had built up.
- 3.
She tried to negate the rumor by showing the receipts.
Easily Confused
negate vs nullify vs cancel — All can mean 'wipe out,' but negate stresses that something counteracts another thing (the cost negates the gain); nullify is formal/legal and means 'make void' (nullify a contract); cancel is the plain everyday word (cancel the order). Use negate when one force offsets another.