alternative

See also: Alternative

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/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

alternative (not comparable)

1. Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.

   an alternative proposition

   • 1911, “Phillips v. Rohrer”, in Penn State Law Review, volume 16, →OCLC, page 46:

     Reason would seem to dictate that it was an alternative offer,—either to receive $15,000 if the grantor perform the condition or $12,000 if he did not perform the condition.

   • 2014, C.A. Longhurst, Unamuno's Theory of the Novel‎^[1], Routledge, →ISBN, page 162:

     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.

   1. (linguistics) Presenting two or more alternatives.

      Synonym: disjunctive

      alternative conjunctions like or

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

   alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock

4. (obsolete) Alternate, reciprocal.
   • 1601, Pliny the Elder, “Of the seuen Planets”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The History of the World Commonly Called the Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus, translation of Naturalis Historia (in Classical Latin), page 3:

     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.

Derived terms

• alternapop
• alternarock
• alternateen
• alternative algebra
• alternative archaeology
• alternative country
• alternative denial
• alternative dispute resolution
• alternative energy
• alternative episcopal oversight
• alternative fact
• alternative fashion
• alternative fertilization
• alternative fuel
• alternative fund
• alternative hip hop
• alternative hip-hop
• alternative history
• alternative hypothesis
• alternative investment
• alternative investment fund
• alternative left
• alternative liability
• alternative lifestyle
• alternative medicine
• alternative metal
• alternative minimum tax
• alternative music
• alternative pop
• alternative press
• alternative provision
• alternative right
• alternative RNA splicing
• alternative rock
• alternative service
• alternative universe
• alternative vote
• alternativist
• alternativity
• altlang
• coalternative
• mallternative
• malternative
• multialternative
• nonalternative
• unalternative

 

Related terms

• alternate
• alternativeness
• alternativism

 

Translations

relating to a choice

• Armenian: այլընտրանքային (hy) (ayləntrankʻayin)
• Belarusian: альтэрнаты́ўны (alʹternatýŭny)
• Bulgarian: алтернати́вен (bg) (alternatíven)
• Catalan: alternatiu (ca)
• Czech: alternativní (cs)
• Danish: alternativ
• Dutch: alternatief (nl)
• Finnish: vaihtoehtoinen (fi)
• French: alternatif (fr) m
• Galician: alternativo m
• German: alternativ (de)
• Greek: εναλλακτικός (el) m (enallaktikós), προαιρετικός (el) m (proairetikós)
• Hungarian: vagylagos (hu)
• Italian: alternativo (it) m
• Malay: alternatif (ms)
• Malayalam: ബദൽ (ml) (badal), പകരം (ml) (pakaraṁ)
• Mirandese: alternatibo m
• Norwegian: alternativ (no)
• Polish: alternatywny (pl) m
• Portuguese: alternativo (pt)
• Russian: альтернати́вный (ru) (alʹternatívnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: а̏лтернатӣван

  Roman: ȁlternatīvan (sh)

• Slovak: alternatívny
• Spanish: alternativo (es)
• Swedish: alternativ (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రత్యామ్నాయం (te) (pratyāmnāyaṁ)
• Ukrainian: альтернати́вний (uk) (alʹternatývnyj)

(linguistics) presenting two or more alternatives

• Hungarian: választó (hu)

other

• Belarusian: альтэрнаты́ўны (alʹternatýŭny)
• Bulgarian: алтернати́вен (bg) (alternatíven)
• Catalan: alternatiu (ca)
• Danish: alternativ
• Finnish: vaihtoehtoinen (fi)
• French: autre (fr)
• Galician: alternativo m
• German: alternativ (de)
• Greek: εναλλακτικός (el) m (enallaktikós)
• Hungarian: alternatív (hu), másik (hu), más (hu)
• Italian: alternativo (it) m
• Japanese: 代替 (ja) (daitai)
• Malayalam: പകരം (ml) (pakaraṁ)
• Norwegian: alternativ (no)
• Polish: alternatywny (pl) m
• Portuguese: alternativo (pt)
• Russian: альтернати́вный (ru) (alʹternatívnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: а̏лтернатӣван

  Roman: ȁlternatīvan (sh)

• Swedish: alternativ (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రత్యామ్నాయం (te) (pratyāmnāyaṁ)
• Turkish: başka (tr), farklı (tr)
• Ukrainian: альтернати́вний (uk) (alʹternatývnyj)

not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground

• Catalan: alternatiu (ca)
• Hungarian: alternatív (hu)
• Polish: alternatywny (pl)
• Portuguese: alternativo (pt)
• Spanish: alternativo (es)

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.]
   • 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter [XI], in Rob Roy. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 268:

     “The cloister or a betrothed husband?” I echoed—“Is that the alternative destined for Miss Vernon?”

2. One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. [from 17th c.]
   • 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison‎^[2]:

     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.

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.

   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.

Synonyms

• Synonyms: see Thesaurus:option

Antonyms

• different or opposing

Translations

a situation which allows a choice between two or more possibilities

• Belarusian: альтэрнаты́ва f (alʹternatýva)
• Bulgarian: алтернати́ва (bg) f (alternatíva)
• Czech: alternativa (cs)
• Esperanto: alternativo (eo)
• Finnish: vaihtoehto (fi)
• French: alternative (fr) f
• German: Alternative (de) f
• Greek: εναλλαγή (el) f (enallagí), διέξοδος (el) f (diéxodos)
• Irish: rogha (ga) f
• Italian: alternativa (it) f
• Japanese: 選択肢 (ja) (sentakushi)
• Malayalam: ബദൽ (ml) (badal)
• Mirandese: alternatiba f
• Norwegian: alternativ (no) n, alternativ (no) n pl
• Polish: alternatywa (pl) f, dysjunkcja f
• Portuguese: alternativa (pt) f
• Russian: альтернати́ва (ru) f (alʹternatíva)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: алтернати́ва f

  Roman: alternatíva (sh) f

• Spanish: alternativa (es) f
• Swedish: alternativ (sv) n
• Turkish: seçenek (tr)
• Ukrainian: альтернати́ва (uk) f (alʹternatýva)

one of several things which can be chosen

• Armenian: այլընտրանք (hy) (ayləntrankʻ)
• Belarusian: альтэрнаты́ва f (alʹternatýva)
• Bulgarian: алтернати́ва (bg) f (alternatíva)
• Esperanto: alternativo (eo)
• Finnish: vaihtoehto (fi)
• French: alternative (fr) f
• German: Alternative (de) f
• Greek: επιλογή (el) f (epilogí), εκλογή (el) f (eklogí)
• Hebrew: אַלְטֶרְנָטִיבָה (he) f (alternatíva), חֲלוּפָה f (khalufá)
• Irish: rogha (ga) f
• Italian: alternativa (it) f
• Japanese: 選択肢 (ja) (sentakushi)
• Malayalam: പകരം (ml) (pakaraṁ)
• Mirandese: alternatiba f
• Norwegian: alternativ (no) n, alternativ (no) n pl
• Polish: alternatywa (pl) f
• Portuguese: alternativa (pt) f
• Russian: альтернати́ва (ru) f (alʹternatíva)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: алтернати́ва f

  Roman: alternatíva (sh) f

• Spanish: alternativa (es) f
• Swedish: alternativ (sv) n
• Turkish: seçenek (tr)
• Ukrainian: альтернати́ва (uk) f (alʹternatýva)
• Yiddish: ברירה f (breyre)

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/

• Audio:

  (file)

• 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

• Audio:

  (file)

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