1.Causing privation; depriving.
2.Consisting in the absence of something; not positive; negative. "Privative blessings, blessings of immunity, safeguard, liberty, and integrity."
3.(Gram.) Implying privation or negation; giving a negative force to a word; as, alpha privative; privative particles; applied to such prefixes and suffixes as a-, un-, non-, -less.