ALTERNATIVE | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of alternative in English alternativeadjective uk /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ us /ɑːlˈtɝː.nə.t̬ɪv/ Add to word list Add to word list B2 (US also alternate) An alternative plan or method is one that you can use if you do not want to use another one: The opposition parties have so far failed to set out an alternative strategy. An alternative venue for the concert is being sought. different

• differentI like her haircut - it's different!
• dissimilarThe twins may look alike, but they are quite dissimilar when it comes to personality.
• diverseLondon is a culturally diverse city.
• heterogeneousThey tested a heterogeneous population.

See more results » B2 Alternative things are considered to be unusual and often have a small but enthusiastic group of people who support them: alternative comedy

• High vehicles must take an alternative route because of low clearance under the bridge.
• Government funding of alternative healthcare is virtually non-existent.
• Despite all the advances in modern medicine, demand for alternative therapies and faith healing keeps growing.
• In Los Angeles many companies encourage their employees to use alternative means of transportation, rather than the car.
• Doctors these days tend to be more open-minded about alternative medicine.

Different and difference

• altered
• alterity
• anomalous
• another
• anything
• disparately
• disparity
• dissimilar
• dissimilarly
• dissimilitude
• make a distinction between something
• make the difference idiom
• misc.
• misfit
• new
• unreflective
• unrepresentative
• unrepresentativeness
• unstandardized
• untraditional

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Unique and unusual

Grammar

Alternate(ly), alternative(ly)The adjective alternate and the adverb alternately mean ‘first one thing, then another thing and then the first thing again’. When we refer to time, we can also use the phrase every other day, every other week, etc. … Alternate(ly)The adjective alternate and the adverb alternately mean ‘first one thing, then another thing and then the first thing again’. When we refer to time, we can also use the phrase every other day, every other week, etc. … Alternative(ly)Alternative(ly) means ‘something that is different and unusual and offers a possible choice’: … alternativenoun [ C ] uk /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/ us /ɑːlˈtɝː.nə.t̬ɪv/ B2 something that is different from something else, especially from what is usual, and offering the possibility of choice: an alternative to an alternative to coffee There must be an alternative to people sleeping on the streets.no alternative You've given me no alternative. I'm afraid we have to let you go.no alternative but I'm afraid I have no alternative but to ask you to leave (= that is what I have to do). Synonym option

• Carob is sometimes used in sweet foods as a healthier alternative to chocolate.
• Solar power is now a viable alternative to oil-fired water heaters.
• The alternative is to tunnel a route through the mountain.
• In the absence of any better alternative, we will have to proceed with the original plan.
• Imposing sanctions is a moderate action when you consider that the alternative is military intervention.

Different and difference

• altered
• alterity
• anomalous
• another
• anything
• disparately
• disparity
• dissimilar
• dissimilarly
• dissimilitude
• make a distinction between something
• make the difference idiom
• misc.
• misfit
• new
• unreflective
• unrepresentative
• unrepresentativeness
• unstandardized
• untraditional

See more results » (Definition of alternative from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

alternative | American Dictionary

alternativenoun [ C ] us /ɔlˈtɜr·nə·t̬ɪv/ Add to word list Add to word list something that is different, esp. from what is usual; a choice: You can make it look good by comparing it to a crummy alternative. I have no alternative but to ask you to leave. alternativeadjective [ not gradable ] us /ɔlˈtɜr·nə·t̬ɪv/ offering a choice between two or more things: People stay because they don’t have alternative opportunities. Alternative medicine is a wide range of treatments for medical conditions that people use instead of, or with, Western medicine. (Definition of alternative from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of alternative

alternative Each region in the mixing-length profile was then interpreted physically and alternative, physically based equations identified. From the Cambridge English Corpus The model should be replaced only if an alternative model is proposed which provides a better summary of the 81 tasks. From the Cambridge English Corpus Distinguishing between these two alternative hypotheses has important implications for the behaviour of political parties. From the Cambridge English Corpus The reader can see that there are no quantifiers over alternative paths. From the Cambridge English Corpus Over the past decade or so, there has been active development of alternative time-frequency representation schemes, independent of computer music research and largely theoretical. From the Cambridge English Corpus Anxiety about the relativist abyss in which 'all pasts are equal' has thwarted efforts to evaluate alternatives to 'objective science'. From the Cambridge English Corpus Search for alternatives can similarly be random or ordered. From the Cambridge English Corpus The approach is a consequence of a new sequential tabling scheme based on dynamic reordering of alternatives with variant calls. From the Cambridge English Corpus As the alternative for the stiff systems (having high ratio gears, high friction, etc.) we propose to use the tactile sensors. From the Cambridge English Corpus There are at least three alternative explanations for our results other than evidence of a transmission cost to inducing symptoms. From the Cambridge English Corpus But then one would be deploying an alternative conclusion of justice; one would not challenge it in the name of one of the rival claims. From the Cambridge English Corpus Here, then, an alternative explanation of the equitable man is required. From the Cambridge English Corpus The sample is then split in two alternative ways, first by the quality of government, and then by income level. From the Cambridge English Corpus The behavioral result is that activation in this pathway is thought to facilitate top-down goal-oriented behavior and thereby simultaneously suppress alternative nongoal-oriented behaviors. From the Cambridge English Corpus The effects of alternative assumptions about income growth are straightforward. From the Cambridge English Corpus These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with alternative

alternative

These are words often used in combination with alternative.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

acceptable alternativeBritish immigrants came from a country where accoucheurs were an increasingly acceptable alternative to midwives. From the Cambridge English Corpus   affordable alternativePeople will not be persuaded to use cars less by this mechanism, because of the absence of public transport, unless there is an efficient, reliable and affordable alternative. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0   attractive alternativeOral delivery represents another attractive alternative to parenteral injection for large-scale human vaccination. From the Cambridge English Corpus   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with alternative What is the pronunciation of alternative?

Translations of alternative

in Chinese (Traditional) （計劃或方法）可替代的, 可供選擇的, 非傳統的… See more in Chinese (Simplified) （计划或方法）可替代的, 可供选择的, 非传统的… See more in Spanish otro, alternativo, alternativa… See more in Portuguese alternativo, alternativa, alternativa [feminine]… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian पर्यायी, पर्याय… See more （2つ以上から）選択できるもの, 別の, 違う… See more alternatif, iki şey arasında seçim, değişik… See more alternative [feminine], choix [masculine], alternatif/-ive… See more alternativa, altre, alternatiu… See more alternatief… See more ஒரு மாற்று திட்டம் அல்லது முறை என்பது நீங்கள் இன்னொன்றைப் பயன்படுத்த விரும்பவில்லை என்றால் நீங்கள் பயன்படுத்தக்கூடிய ஒன்றாகும்., வேறு எதையாவது, குறிப்பாக வழக்கமானவற்றிலிருந்து வேறுபட்ட ஒன்று… See more वैकल्पिक, विकल्प… See more વૈકલ્પિક, વિકલ્પો… See more alternativ, valg… See more annan, alternativ-, alternativ… See more pilihan lain, pilihan… See more alternativ, die Alternative… See more alternativ [neuter], valg [neuter], alternativ… See more متبادل, صورت حال دیگر… See more альтернативний, альтернатива, вибір… See more ఇంకొకదానిని ఉపయోగించదలచుకోనప్పుడు వాడే ప్రత్యామ్నాయ ప్రణాళిక లేదా పధ్ధతి, ప్రత్యామ్న్యాయం, వేరే మార్గం… See more ব্যবহারযোগ্য বিকল্প, বিকল্প, সাধারণের থেকে আলাদা হলেও যা বদলি হিসেবে পছন্দ করা যেতে পারে… See more jiný, jiná možnost… See more alternatif… See more สำรอง, ทางเลือก… See more có thể lựa chọn, sự lựa chọn… See more alternatywa, alternatywny, inna możliwość… See more 대체품, 다른, 대체의… See more alternativa, alternativo… See more Need a translator?

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alternating alternating current alternating series BETA alternation alternative alternative dispute resolution alternative energy alternative history alternative hypothesis BETA {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of alternative

• no alternative
• alternative energy
• alternative history
• alternative reality
• alternative school
• alternative therapy
• alternative hypothesis

See all meanings

Word of the Day

fraternize

UK /ˈfræt.ə.naɪz/ US /ˈfræt̬.ɚ.naɪz/

to meet someone socially, especially someone who belongs to an opposing army or team, or has a different social position

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