alternative

English Online Dictionary. What means alternative‎? What does alternative mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin alternātīvus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin alternō (“interchange, alternate”). Compare alternate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nə.tɪv/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɔlˈtɝ.nə.tɪv/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ɑlˈtɝ.nə.tɪv/

Adjective

alternative (not comparable)

1. Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
   1. (linguistics) Presenting two or more alternatives.

      Synonym: disjunctive

2. Other; different from something else.
3. Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.

   alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock

4. (obsolete) Alternate, reciprocal.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

alternative (plural alternatives)

1. A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. [from 17th c.]
2. One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. [from 17th c.]
3. The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. [from 18th c.]
4. (uncountable, music) alternative rock
5. A non-offensive word or phrase that serves as a replacement for a word deemed offensive or unacceptable, though not as a euphemism.

Synonyms

• Synonyms: see Thesaurus:option

Antonyms

• different or opposing

Translations

See also

• variant

References

• “alternative”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “alternative”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alternaˈtive/
• Rhymes: -ive

Adverb

alternative

1. alternatively

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.tɛʁ.na.tiv/
• Homophone: alternatives

Adjective

alternative

1. feminine singular of alternatif

Noun

alternative f (plural alternatives)

1. alternative

Further reading

• “alternative”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.ter.naˈti.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: al‧ter‧na‧tì‧ve

Adjective

alternative

1. feminine plural of alternativo

Noun

alternative f

1. plural of alternativa

Anagrams

• alternatevi

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /al.ter.naːˈtiː.u̯e/, [äɫ̪t̪ɛrnäːˈt̪iːu̯ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /al.ter.naˈti.ve/, [äl̪t̪ernäˈt̪iːve]

Adjective

alternātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of alternātīvus

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Swedish

Adjective

alternative

1. definite natural masculine singular of alternativ