Inlinguistics, aprivative adjective is anadjective which seems to exclude members of theextension of thenoun which it modifies. For instance, "fake" is privative since a "fake nose" is not an actual nose. Other examples in English include "pretend", "fictitious", and "artificial". The defining feature of privative adjectives is shown below in set theoretic notation.^[1][2]

1. An adjective${\displaystyle \text{Adj}}$ isprivative if for any noun${\displaystyle \text{N}}$, we have that${\displaystyle [[\text{Adj N}]]\cap [[\text{N}]]=\mathrm{\varnothing }}$.

Privative adjectives are non-subsective, but behave differently from ordinary non-subsectives in important respects, at least inEnglish. While ordinary non-subsectives such as themodal adjective "alleged" can only be used inattributive position, privative adjectives can be used either in attributive orpredicative position. In this regard, privative adjectives pattern more likeintersective adjectives such as "blue".^[1]

1. Sara is an alleged spy. (non-subsective, attributive)
2. #Sara is alleged. (non-subsective, predicative)

1. That is a fake nose. (privative, attributive)
2. That nose is fake. (privative, predicative)

1. That is a blue pig. (intersective, attributive)
2. That pig is blue. (intersective, predicative)

In part because of this pattern,Partee (1997) argued that privative adjectives are in fact intersective adjectives whichcoerce a broader interpretation of the nouns they modify. On this analysis, listeners treat fake noses as falling within the extension of the noun "nose" because refusing to do so would render the expression "fake nose" self-contradictory.^[1]

• Adjective
• Grammatical modifier
• Intersective modifier
• Subsective modifier

• The dictionary definition ofprivative adjective at Wiktionary

• Grammar
• Semantics
• Adjectives by type
• Formal semantics (natural language)

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata