An alternative is an object or action which can be chosen. Alternative may refer to:

In music:

    * Alternative rock, often referred to as "indie music"
    * Alternative dance
    * Alternative metal
    * Alternative hip-hop
    * Alternative country
    * Alternative (album), an album by the Pet Shop Boys
    * Alternative Records, a record label

In mathematics, logic, and science:

    * Logical disjunction
    * Alternative algebra, an abstract algebra with alternative multiplication
    * Alternate leaves, a classification in botanical phyllotaxis

In education:

    * Alternative education, non-traditional education
    * Alternative school, a school geared towards students whose needs cannot be met in a traditional school

In culture and society:

    * Alternative comics, a genre of comic strips and books
    * Alternative comedy, a range of styles used by comedians and writers in the 1980s
    * Alternative culture, a variety of subcultures on the fringes of mainstream culture
    * Alternative dispute resolution, processes and techniques outside the traditional mainstream of jurisprudence
    * Alternative fashion, for example Goth fashion, Punk fashion, Fetish fashion.
    * Alternative lifestyle, a lifestyle that it is not within the cultural norm
    * Alternative media, media practices falling outside the mainstreams of corporate communication
    * Alternative medicine, methods and practices used in place of, or in addition to, conventional medical treatments
    * Alternative society, different models for society and social change