May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Negotiate

v. thoughtful, calm professional

What it means

Meaning 1

To discuss competing needs until the parties reach terms they can accept.

Reach for it when describing deliberate agreement-making rather than simply persuading or conceding

The residents negotiated a quiet-hours policy that protected both sleep and rehearsals.

Meaning 2

To get through a difficult route, obstacle, or transition with careful adjustment.

Reach for it when describing skillful movement through physical or figurative difficulty

The wheelchair user negotiated the narrow turn with help from a spotter.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: To discuss competing needs until the parties reach terms they can accept.

  • everyday

    bargain

    Fits when price, exchange, or concessions are openly traded

    Careful It sounds transactional when the discussion concerns trust, policy, or shared care.

  • professional

    mediate

    Fits when a neutral third party helps opponents find agreement

    Careful A party to the dispute negotiates; an impartial helper mediates.

  • professional

    settle

    Fits when the emphasis is resolving a dispute or finalizing terms

    Careful Settlement names the outcome and may hide the quality of the discussion.

  • formal

    confer

    Fits when people consult seriously before deciding

    Careful Conferencing can end without terms, compromise, or agreement.

Meaning 2: To get through a difficult route, obstacle, or transition with careful adjustment.

  • everyday

    clear

    Fits when someone passes an obstacle completely and directly

    Careful Clear does not express the care or adjustment required along the way.

  • professional

    navigate

    Fits when route-finding through complexity is more important than the obstacle itself

    Careful Use navigate for systems and uncertainty, not when movement requires tight physical maneuvering.

  • formal

    maneuver

    Fits when precise changes of position overcome limited space

    Careful The word can sound politically manipulative outside a physical setting.

  • literary

    thread through

    Fits when movement follows a narrow path among several obstacles

    Careful The image is too decorative for a concise technical instruction.

Opposites 3

  • dictate
  • deadlock
  • collide

Common phrases 3

  • negotiate an agreement

    The two cooperatives met weekly to negotiate an agreement.

  • negotiate terms

    A volunteer lawyer helped the artists negotiate terms they understood.

  • negotiate a curve

    The cyclist slowed to negotiate a curve hidden by trees.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated