1. in a way that indicates the absence or lack of something
Usage: formal; logic and linguistics

Examples

• The prefix ‘un-‘ functions privatively in words like ‘unhappy.’
• In logic, some terms are defined privatively as the absence of their positive counterparts.
• The word ‘darkness’ can be understood privatively as the absence of light.
• Linguists analyze how certain morphemes work privatively to negate meaning.
• The concept of cold is sometimes explained privatively as the lack of heat.