alternative
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alternative
- /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ UK, contemporary
- /ɔːlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/
- /ɔlˈtɝ.nə.tɪv/ US, dialectal
- /ɑlˈtɝ.nə.tɪv/ US, cot caught merger, dialectal
- /ɔlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ Australia
- /ɒlˈtøː.nə.təv/ New Zealand
- [ɔ̟lˈtøː.nə.təv] New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin alternātīvus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin alternō (“interchange, alternate”). By surface analysis, alternate + -ive. Compare alternate.
adjective
- Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities. an alternative proposition
-
Presenting two or more alternatives.
alternative conjunctions like or
Similar: disjunctive
- Other; different from something else. Exploring alternative realities isn't just a game for boys. In 1666, Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, published a utopian fantasy of compelling strangeness.
- Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground. alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock
- Alternate, reciprocal. He [the Sun] it is that giveth light to all things, and riddeth them from darkneſſe : hee hideth the other ſtarres, and ſheweth them againe : he ordereth the ſeaſons in their alternative courſe : he tempereth the yeere, ariſing ever freſh and new againe, for the benefite and good of the world.
noun alternatives
- A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. I gave you the alternative; you decided to stay.
- One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. Between these alternatives there is no middle ground. The Constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it.
- The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted.
- alternative rock
- A non-offensive word or phrase that serves as a replacement for a word deemed offensive or unacceptable, though not as a euphemism. Disability activists discourage the use of the words "crazy" and "insane" due to their negative connections to mental health, suggesting alternatives such as "wild", "silly", or "out of this world", which do not relate to mental health.
Similar: Synonyms: see Thesaurus:option · Opposite: different, opposing
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: secondary, choice, option, alternate, disjunctive, unconventional, mutually exclusive, different, others, possible, other, counterproposal, separate, possibility, optional, distinct
noun
Similar: Synonyms: see Thesaurus:option · Opposite: different, opposing
Translations
Every language
adj relating to a choice
| Español | alternativo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 選項 /选项 xuǎnxiàng |
| हिन्दी | वैकल्पिक vaikalpik |
| Português | alternativo |
| Français | alternatif |
| Deutsch | alternativ |
| Italiano | alternativo |
| Ελληνικά | εναλλακτικός enallaktikós, προαιρετικός proairetikós |
| Русский | альтернати́вный alʹternatívnyj |
adj other
| 日本語 | 代替 daitai |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | वैकल्पिक vaikalpik |
| Português | alternativo |
| Français | autre |
| Deutsch | alternativ |
| Italiano | alternativo |
| Ελληνικά | εναλλακτικός enallaktikós |
| Русский | альтернати́вный alʹternatívnyj |
adj not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground
| Español | alternativo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 另類 /另类 lìnglèi |
| Português | alternativo |
noun a situation which allows a choice between two or more possibilities
| Español | alternativa |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 選択肢 sentakushi |
| Português | alternativa |
| Français | alternative |
| Deutsch | Alternative |
| Italiano | alternativa |
| Ελληνικά | εναλλαγή enallagí, διέξοδος diéxodos |
| Română | alternativ |
| Русский | альтернати́ва alʹternatíva |
| עברית | אַלְטֶרְנָטִיבָה alternatíva |
noun one of several things which can be chosen
| Español | alternativa |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 選択肢 sentakushi |
| हिन्दी | विकल्प vikalp |
| Português | alternativa |
| Français | alternative |
| Deutsch | Alternative |
| Italiano | alternativa |
| Ελληνικά | επιλογή epilogí, εκλογή eklogí |
| Русский | альтернати́ва alʹternatíva |
| עברית | אַלְטֶרְנָטִיבָה alternatíva, חֲלוּפָה khalufá |
Talk about this word "alternative." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/alternative. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. alternative. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/alternative "alternative." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/alternative.Cite this
@misc{alternative_2026,
title = {alternative},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/alternative},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
