# The temperature is negative 7 °F, not minus 7 °F! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 30, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673 "2019-01-30T16:04:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/1 "2019-01-30T16:04:58Z")
Am I the only one who is annoyed by this? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/2 "2019-01-30T16:09:10Z")
Of the two people in the thread so far, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/3 "2019-01-30T16:10:13Z")
It’s too cold to be annoyed by that. Minus 40 degrees in some places! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/4 "2019-01-30T16:10:20Z")
I didn’t even know I was supposed to be annoyed by that. Is “minus 7 degrees” improper? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/5 "2019-01-30T16:10:31Z")
In a world of 7 billion people, I have to consider the possibility that there could be others. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/6 "2019-01-30T16:12:32Z")
I’d be more annoyed that it is that cold long before what anyone calls it. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/7 "2019-01-30T16:15:35Z")
Less people are annoyed than not annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/8 "2019-01-30T16:22:43Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Less people are annoyed than not annoyed. I see that. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/9 "2019-01-30T16:26:51Z")
“minus 7” is a more technically correct answer to “What is 10-17?” than “negative 7”. I wouldn’t be annoyed by someone using “negative 7” though, as it’s a clearly understood turn of phrase. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/10 "2019-01-30T16:30:12Z")
I’m not annoyed by “minus 7”. But maybe I would be if the temperature were actually -7 F here. > [@Riemann](#): > > Less people are annoyed than not annoyed. I’m also not annoyed by the use of the word “less” rather than “fewer”. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/11 "2019-01-30T16:32:27Z")
I always thought they were interchangeable. According to Google, one of the many definitions of negative is a noun meaning “a number less than zero.” According to google one of the definitions of minus is an adjective meaning “(before a number) below zero; negative.” So both still seem valid, but if anything minus seems more correct. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/12 "2019-01-30T16:32:32Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > I’m also not annoyed by the use of the word “less” rather than “fewer”. Your not? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/13 "2019-01-30T16:34:57Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Your not? You’re grammer seems to be worser then others. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/14 "2019-01-30T16:42:14Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > You’re grammer seems to be worser then others. Stop making minus comments about my grammer. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/15 "2019-01-30T16:48:58Z")
So are you saying that you are annoyed by people who say “The temperature is negative 7 °F, not minus 7 °F!”, or by people who say “minus” rather than “negative”? Your OP could be clearerer. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/16 "2019-01-30T16:54:54Z")
I like 7 below. I mean, I don’t _like_ 7 below. You know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/17 "2019-01-30T16:56:06Z")
The minus/negative doesn’t bother me but I think I’d use ‘seven below,’ too. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/18 "2019-01-30T16:56:35Z")
Minus 7 is when we put away the parkas and start to consider jackets around here. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/19 "2019-01-30T16:59:15Z")
I see no reason why “minus seven” would be wrong. Even my talking home devices say “minus seven” (or, in today’s case, “minus twenty-one”) instead of “negative seven.” Maybe engineers talk like that or something, but the rest of English-speaking humans use either without a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673/20 "2019-01-30T17:01:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **manson1972** : > > It’s too cold to be annoyed by that. Minus 40 degrees in some places! Is that Kelvin or Rankin? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-temperature-is-negative-7-f-not-minus-7-f/828673.md?page=2)