alternative

Universal Words noun, adjective noun a thing that you can choose to do or have out of two or more possibilities: You can be paid in cash weekly or by cheque monthly; those are the two alternatives. * We had no alternative but to fire Gibson. * There is a vegetarian alternative on the menu every day. adjective [onlybeforenoun] 1 (also alternate especially in AmE) that can be used instead of sth else: an alternative method of doing sth * Do you have an alternative solution to the problem? 2 different from the usual or traditional way in which sth is done: alternative comedy / lifestyles / values * alternative energy (= electricity or power that is produced using the energy from the sun, wind, water, etc.) * alternative medicine (= any type of treatment that does not use the usual scientific methods of Western medicine, for example one using herbs instead of artificial drugs)