# Unary - — numeric negation

[Syntax and values](README.md)

## Behavior and details

A **unary** operator works with one value. Unary `-` reverses a Number's sign: `-5` is negative five, and `-(-5)` gives five. It can also act on a variable or a grouped expression.

This differs from the two-value subtraction in `8 - 3`. Several unary operators group from the right: `- -5` means `-(-5)`. When a function's first argument starts with a sign, use call parentheses, such as `say(-5)`.

## Example

```pliro
# language: en
let value = 3
say(-value)
say(-(2 + 3))
```

## Related entries

[Syntax and values](README.md) · [Built-ins](../builtins/README.md) · [Programming guides](../guides/README.md)