Alternative
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Alternative is an adjective meaning Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
Meaning
Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
More Meanings
- Other; different from something else.
- Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.
- A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities.
- One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen.
- The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted.
- (uncountable, music) alternative rock
- (obsolete) Alternate, reciprocal.
Example Sentences
an alternative proposition
alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock
“The cloister or a betrothed husband?” I echoed—“Is that the alternative destined for Miss Vernon?”
Who is right, Augusto or Unamuno? In general critics have seen this confrontation as offering an alternative choice: either we are free or we are predetermined.
Word Forms
- alternatives
Synonyms for alternative
Depending on context, synonyms include unconventional, choice, option, secondary, disjunctive, alternate.
Antonyms for alternative
Common opposites include different, opposing.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include secondary, choice, option, alternate, disjunctive, unconventional.
Related Dictionary Tools
Practice “alternative” in a Crossword
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.