alternative
adjective
al·ter·na·tive
| \ ȯl-ˈtər-nə-tiv
, al-\
, al-\
Definition of alternative
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: offering or expressing a choice
several alternative plans
2
: different from the usual or conventional: such as
a
: existing or functioning outside the established cultural, social, or economic system
an alternative newspaper alternative lifestyles
b
: of, relating to, or being rock music that is regarded as an alternative to conventional rock and is typically influenced by punk rock, hard rock, hip-hop, or folk music
an alternative band
also
: of, relating to, or being music of a genre other than rock that is similarly regarded as an alternative to the conventional music of that genre
alternative country
c
: of or relating to alternative medicine
alternative therapies
3
: occurring or succeeding by turns : alternate sense 1
alternative
nounDefinition of alternative (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: a proposition or situation offering a choice between two or more things only one of which may be chosen
a government facing the alternative of high taxes or poor highways
b
: an opportunity for deciding between two or more courses or propositions
the alternative of going by train or by plane
2a
: one of two or more things, courses, or propositions to be chosen
The menu offered several vegetarian alternatives.
b
: something which can be chosen instead
The only alternative to intervention.
3
: alternative rock music
a fan of alternative
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Synonyms for alternative
Synonyms: Noun
choice, discretion, druthers [dialect], election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection, volition, way
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Examples of alternative in a Sentence
Adjective
Scientists are developing an alternative approach to treating the disease. He developed an alternative design for the new engine.Noun
We decided to leave since our only other alternative was to wait in the rain. I was offered no alternative. The menu offered several vegetarian alternatives.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Meat-free diets have come a long way, with a variety of alternative options. — Edvige Jean-françois, CNN, "Could fake meat burgers make cows obsolete?," 22 Aug. 2019 Who will be the best alternative at center if Weston Richburg can’t go Week 1? — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "49ers mailbag: How much will Garoppolo, starters play at Kansas City?," 21 Aug. 2019 After months of lurking in alternative media like Rogan’s show and The Rubin Report, more mainstream outlets started reaching out for interviews, and his poll numbers started to creep upward. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "YouTube shows have become a secret weapon for rising politicians," 20 Aug. 2019 The method would be an alternative to lethal injection. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Alabama AG’s office silent on new execution method," 14 Aug. 2019 However, the bucket for paying out cash-alternative claims is capped at $31 million—about 10% of the overall claim compensation fund Equifax set aside. — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, "You’re probably not going to get your $125 from the Equifax settlement," 31 July 2019 Now, the alternative meat-makers are fighting back. — New York Times, "What’s Meat Got to Do With It?," 25 July 2019 But unlike many of their commercial-alternative brethren, the members of Radiohead are interested in playing their instruments and in writing songs that challenge listeners to do more than just bang heads in the mosh pit. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com, "Radiohead’s minidisc release includes version of ‘Lift’ recorded in Cleveland," 14 June 2019 Meat-free diets have come a long way, with a variety of alternative options. — Edvige Jean-françois, CNN, "Could fake meat burgers make cows obsolete?," 22 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Bryce also gives Justin the bottle of Oxycodone as an alternative to heroin. — Kaitlin Reilly, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: 13 Reasons Why Season 3 Recap," 24 Aug. 2019 But what exactly are the Democratic presidential candidates proposing as an alternative? — Michael Tanner, National Review, "Trump’s Trade Critics Don’t Offer Better Options," 21 Aug. 2019 President Donald Trump’s spiralling trade and currency wars threaten to topple Bretton Woods II, even as attractive alternatives to the system fade. — The Economist, "What comes after Bretton Woods II?," 15 Aug. 2019 Both the city of Tempe and the Tempe Police Department tweeted warnings to avoid the area and recommended using Priest or McClintock drives as alternatives. — Rocky Baier, azcentral, "Fire in north Tempe fills sky with smoke, shuts traffic," 14 Aug. 2019 As an alternative, the court could also assign a public administrator. — Stephen Gandel, CBS News, "Who will get Jeff Epstein's hundreds of millions of dollars?," 12 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, entertainment companies including HBO and Amazon Prime are positioning themselves as alternatives with new specials from Jim Gaffigan and Julio Torres that signal two very different strategies. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Can Netflix, the King of Stand-Up Specials, Be Dethroned?," 9 Aug. 2019 The night will also provide a contrast with more moderate candidates, such as South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, poised to offer themselves as alternatives to the liberals. — Sara Burnett, The Denver Post, "Debate gives some Democrats like Hickenlooper a last chance to shine," 30 July 2019 Former congressman John Delaney, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper and Montana governor Steve Bullock all sought to establish themselves as moderate alternatives to Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "A reminder to B-list Democratic candidates: The US has a bad health care system," 30 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alternative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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