Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.

The Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY static data property represents the negative Infinity value.

Try it

function checkNumber(smallNumber) {
  if (smallNumber === Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
    return "Process number as -Infinity";
  }
  return smallNumber;
}

console.log(checkNumber(-Number.MAX_VALUE));
// Expected output: -1.7976931348623157e+308

console.log(checkNumber(-Number.MAX_VALUE * 2));
// Expected output: "Process number as -Infinity"

Value

The same as the negative value of the global Infinity property.

Property attributes of Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY
Writableno
Enumerableno
Configurableno

Description

The Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY value behaves slightly differently than mathematical infinity:

  • Any positive value, including POSITIVE_INFINITY, multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is NEGATIVE_INFINITY.
  • Any negative value, including NEGATIVE_INFINITY, multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is POSITIVE_INFINITY.
  • Any positive value divided by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is negative zero (as defined in IEEE 754).
  • Any negative value divided by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is positive zero (as defined in IEEE 754).
  • Zero multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is NaN.
  • NaN multiplied by NEGATIVE_INFINITY is NaN.
  • NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by any negative value except NEGATIVE_INFINITY, is POSITIVE_INFINITY.
  • NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by any positive value except POSITIVE_INFINITY, is NEGATIVE_INFINITY.
  • NEGATIVE_INFINITY, divided by either NEGATIVE_INFINITY or POSITIVE_INFINITY, is NaN.
  • x > Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY is true for any number x that isn't NEGATIVE_INFINITY.

You might use the Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY property to indicate an error condition that returns a finite number in case of success. Note, however, that NaN would be more appropriate in such a case.

Because NEGATIVE_INFINITY is a static property of Number, you always use it as Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY, rather than as a property of a number value.

Examples

Using NEGATIVE_INFINITY

In the following example, the variable smallNumber is assigned a value that is smaller than the minimum value. When the if statement executes, smallNumber has the value -Infinity, so smallNumber is set to a more manageable value before continuing.

js
let smallNumber = -Number.MAX_VALUE * 2;

if (smallNumber === Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
  smallNumber = returnFinite();
}

Specifications

Specification
ECMAScript® 2025 Language Specification
# sec-number.negative_infinity

Browser compatibility

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobileserver
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
Deno
Node.js
NEGATIVE_INFINITY

Legend

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Full support
Full support

See also