Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [awl-tur-nuh-tiv, al-]
- /ɔlˈtɜr nə tɪv, æl-/
- /ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [awl-tur-nuh-tiv, al-]
- /ɔlˈtɜr nə tɪv, æl-/
Definitions of alternative word
- countable noun alternative If one thing is an alternative to another, the first can be found, used, or done instead of the second. 3
- adjective alternative An alternative plan or offer is different from the one that you already have, and can be done or used instead. 3
- adjective alternative Alternative is used to describe something that is different from the usual things of its kind, or the usual ways of doing something, in modern Western society. For example, an alternative lifestyle does not follow conventional ways of living and working. 3
- adjective alternative Alternative medicine uses traditional ways of curing people, such as medicines made from plants, massage, and acupuncture. 3
- adjective alternative Alternative energy uses natural sources of energy such as the sun, wind, or water for power and fuel, rather than oil, coal, or nuclear power. 3
- noun alternative a possibility of choice, esp between two things, courses of action, etc 3
Information block about the term
Origin of alternative
First appearance:
before 1580 One of the 35% oldest English words
First recorded in 1580-90; alternate + -ive
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Alternative
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
alternative popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 93% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
alternative usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for alternative
adj alternative
- different — not alike in character or quality; distinct in nature; dissimilar: The two brothers are very different, although they are identical twins.
- second — next after the first; being the ordinal number for two.
- substitute — a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.
- surrogate — a person appointed to act for another; deputy.
- another — Another thing or person means an additional thing or person of the same type as one that already exists.
noun alternative
- replacement — the act of replacing.
- substitution — a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.
- change — If there is a change in something, it becomes different.
- opportunity — an appropriate or favorable time or occasion: Their meeting afforded an opportunity to exchange views.
- option — command line option
adjective alternative
- alternate — When you alternate two things, you keep using one then the other. When one thing alternates with another, the first regularly occurs after the other.
- unusual — not usual, common, or ordinary; uncommon in amount or degree; exceptional: an unusual sound; an unusual hobby; an unusual response.
- unconventional — not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
- out of the ordinary — of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary; an ordinary person.
- marginal — pertaining to a margin.
conjunction alternative
- oppositely — situated, placed, or lying face to face with something else or each other, or in corresponding positions with relation to an intervening line, space, or thing: opposite ends of a room.
- or — a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.
preposition alternative
adverb alternative
- instead — as a substitute or replacement; in the place or stead of someone or something: We ordered tea but were served coffee instead.
- in lieu — place; stead.
- on second thought — Often, second thoughts. reservation about a previous action, position, decision, judgment, or the like: He had second thoughts about his decision.
- alternately — in an alternating sequence or position
- in place of — instead of, replacing
Antonyms for alternative
noun alternative
- rejection — the act or process of rejecting.
- compulsion — A compulsion is a strong desire to do something, which you find difficult to control.
- necessity — something necessary or indispensable: food, shelter, and other necessities of life.
- obligation — something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.
- constraint — A constraint is something that limits or controls what you can do.
adjective alternative
- conventional — Someone who is conventional has behaviour or opinions that are ordinary and normal.
Top questions with alternative
- what is alternative music?
- what does alternative mean?
- what is alternative minimum tax?
- what is alternative medicine?
- what is alternative energy?
- why is biomass a better alternative to natural gas?
- what is alternative hypothesis?
- what is the alternative minimum tax?
- what is an alternative school?
- what does alternative music mean?
- what description matches the alternative fitness principle of recovery?
- what is alternative?
- what does alternative school mean?
- what is down alternative?
- what is alternative rock?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with a
- Words starting with al
- Words starting with alt
- Words starting with alte
- Words starting with alter
- Words starting with altern
- Words starting with alterna
- Words starting with alternat
- Words starting with alternati
- Words starting with alternativ
- Words starting with alternative