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

• IPA^(key): /ˌɒlˈtɜːnətɪv/
• IPA^(key): /ˌɔlˈtɝnəɾɪv/
• IPA^(key): /ˌɑlˈtɝnəɾɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

alternative (not comparable)

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

   an alternative proposition

2. Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.

   alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock

3. Other; different from something else.
4. Alternate, reciprocal.

Derived terms

• alternative dispute resolution
• alternative energy
• alternative hip hop
• alternative lifestyle
• alternative medicine
• alternative metal
• alternative press
• alternative rock
• alternative vote

 

Related terms

• alternate
• alternativeness
• alternativism

 

Translations

Relating to a choice

• Armenian: այլընտրանքային (hy) (ayləntrankʻayin)
• Bulgarian: алтернативен (bg) (alternativen)
• Catalan: alternatiu (ca)
• Czech: alternativní (cs)
• Danish: alternativ
• Dutch: alternatief (nl)
• Finnish: vaihtoehtoinen (fi)
• French: alternatif (fr) m
• Galician: alternativo m
• German: alternativ (de)

  Alemannic German: sülkï

• Greek: εναλλακτικός (el) m (enallaktikós), προαιρετικός (el) m (proairetikós)
• Interlingue:
• Italian: alternativo (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: alternatif
• 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)

other

• Catalan: alternatiu (ca)
• Danish: alternativ
• Erzya: өјҝ
• Finnish: vaihtoehtoinen (fi)
• French: autre (fr) (NB : alternatif is a misuse)
• Galician: alternativo m
• German: alternativ (de)
• Greek: εναλλακτικός (el) m (enallaktikós)
• Italian: alternativo (it) m
• Japanese: 代替 (ja) (daitai)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: alternativ (no)
• Polish: alternatywny (pl) m
• Portuguese: alternativo (pt)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: а̏лтернатӣван

  Roman: ȁlternatīvan (sh)

• Swedish: alternativ (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రత్యామ్నాయం (te) (pratyāmnāyaṁ)

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, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, XI:

     ‘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^[1]:

     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.]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:option

Translations

a situation which allows a choice between two or more possibilities

• Bulgarian: алтернатива (bg) (alternativa)
• Czech: alternativa
• 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 (sentakushi)
• Mirandese: alternatiba f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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: alternativo (es) m
• Swedish: alternativ (sv) n
• Turkish: seçenek (tr)

one of several things which can be chosen

• Armenian: այլընտրանք (hy) (ayləntrankʻ)
• 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 (sentakushi)
• Mirandese: alternatiba f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• 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.

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Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alternaˈtive/
• Rhymes: -ive

Adverb

alternative

1. alternatively

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.tɛʁ.na.tiv/

• alternative:

  (file)

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.

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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

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Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ive

Adjective

alternative

1. feminine plural of alternativo

Noun

alternative f

1. plural of alternativa

Anagrams

• alternatevi

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /al.ter.naːˈtiː.u̯e/, [äɫ̪t̪ɛrnäːˈt̪iːu̯ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /al.ter.naˈti.ve/, [äl̪t̪ernäˈt̪iːve]

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) alternātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of alternātīvus

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Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

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Swedish

Adjective

alternative

1. (deprecated template usage) definite natural masculine singular of alternativ