1. A judicial or official decision that denies a request, claim, or appeal; a determination that rules against a party
The court issued a negative ruling on the defendant's motion to dismiss.
O tribunal proferiu uma decisão negativa sobre o pedido de moção para arquivamento do réu.
2. An administrative or authoritative decision that rejects a proposal or application
The board's negative ruling prevented the merger from proceeding.
A decisão negativa do conselho impediu que a fusão prosseguisse.