positive
English
Alternative forms
- +ve (abbreviation)
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French positif, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.
Pronunciation
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Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -ɒzɪtɪv
- Hyphenation (UK): pos‧it‧ive, (US): pos‧i‧tive
Adjective
positive (comparative more positive, superlative most positive)
- Not negative or neutral.
- (law) Formally laid down. [from the 14th c.]
- (Can we date this quote by Hooker and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.
- (Can we date this quote by Hooker and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Stated definitively and without qualification. [from the 16th c.]
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward’s son.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Fully assured in opinion. [from the 17th c.]
- I’m absolutely positive you've spelt that wrong.
- (mathematics) Of number, greater than zero. [from the 18th c.]
- Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.
- (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- a positive voice in legislation.
- (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Overconfident, dogmatic.
- (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Some positive, persisting fops we know, That, if once wrong, will needs be always so.
- (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- (chiefly philosophy) Actual, real, concrete, not theoretical or speculative.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Positive good.
- (Can we date this quote by Francis Bacon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- (physics) Having more protons than electrons.
- A cation is a positive ion as it has more protons than electrons.
- (grammar) Describing the primary sense of an adjective, adverb or noun; not comparative, superlative, augmentative nor diminutive.
- ‘Better’ is an irregular comparative of the positive form ‘good’.
- Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations; absolute.
- The idea of beauty is not positive, but depends on the different tastes of individuals.
- Characterized by the existence or presence of distinguishing qualities or features, rather than by their absence.
- The box was not empty – I felt some positive substance within it.
- Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.
- The results of our experiment are positive.
- (photography) Of a visual image, true to the original in light, shade and colour values.
- A positive photograph can be developed from a photographic negative.
- Favorable, desirable by those interested or invested in that which is being judged.
- The first-night reviews were largely positive.
- Wholly what is expressed; colloquially downright, entire, outright.
- Good lord, you've built up a positive arsenal of weaponry here.
- Optimistic. [from the 20th c.]
- He has a positive outlook on life.
- (chemistry) electropositive
- (chemistry) basic; metallic; not acid; opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.
- (slang) HIV positive.
- quoted in 2013, William I. Johnston, HIV-Negative: How the Uninfected Are Affected by AIDS (page 145)
- We certainly told him at that time that I was negative. We talked about transmission. We told him we don't do anything that would cause me to become positive.
- quoted in 2013, William I. Johnston, HIV-Negative: How the Uninfected Are Affected by AIDS (page 145)
- (New Age jargon) Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable; (often precedes 'energy', 'thought', 'feeling' or 'emotion').
- 2009, Christopher Johns, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner, John Wiley & Sons, p. 15
- Negative feelings can be worked through and their energy converted into positive energy... In crisis, normal patterns of self-organization fail, resulting in anxiety (negative energy). Being open systems, people can exchange this energy with the environment and create positive energy for taking action...
- 2009, Christopher Johns, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner, John Wiley & Sons, p. 15
Synonyms
Antonyms
- (physics): negative
- (mathematics): nonpositive
- (doubtful): uncertain, unsure
- (spiritual quality): bad, evil, nongood
Derived terms
Translations
not negative or neutral
|
legal: formally laid down
|
stated definitively and without qualification
|
fully assured in opinion, confident
mathematics: greater than zero
|
characterised by constructiveness
|
overconfident, dogmatic
philosophy: actual, real, concrete
|
physics: having more protons than electrons
|
grammar: describing the primary sense
|
derived from an object by itself; absolute
|
characterised by the existence rather than absence of qualities or features
|
characterised by features which support a hypothesis
|
photography: of a visual image true to the original
|
favorable, desirable
|
downright, entire, outright
|
optimistic
|
chemistry: electropositive — see electropositive
chemistry: basic; metallic; not acid
slang: HIV positive
|
New Age jargon: good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable
|
- Welsh: (please verify) cadarnhaol (cy)
- (deprecated template usage)
{{trans-mid}}
Noun
positive (plural positives)
- A thing capable of being affirmed; something real or actual.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of South to this entry?)
- A favourable point or characteristic.
- Something having a positive value in physics, such as an electric charge.
- (grammar) A degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.
- (grammar) An adjective or adverb in the positive degree.
- (photography) A positive image; one that displays true colors and shades, as opposed to a negative.
- The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
- A positive result of a test.
Translations
thing capable of being affirmed
favourable point or characteristic
|
thing having a positive value
|
the positive degree of adjectives and adverbs
|
photography: a positive image
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Danish
Adjective
positive
French
Adjective
positive
Verb
positive
- inflection of positiver:
German
Adjective
positive
- inflection of positiv:
Italian
Adjective
positive
Anagrams
Latin
Adjective
(deprecated template usage) positīve
Norwegian Bokmål
Adjective
positive
Norwegian Nynorsk
Adjective
positive
Spanish
Verb
positive
- First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of positivar.
Swedish
Adjective
positive
Categories:
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɒzɪtɪv
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- en:Law
- Requests for date/Hooker
- Requests for date/Francis Bacon
- en:Mathematics
- Requests for date/Jonathan Swift
- Requests for date/Alexander Pope
- en:Philosophy
- en:Physics
- en:Grammar
- en:Photography
- en:Chemistry
- English slang
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- Requests for quotations/South
- English autological terms
- en:Energy
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish adjective forms
- French non-lemma forms
- French adjective forms
- French verb forms
- German non-lemma forms
- German adjective forms
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin adjective forms
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål adjective forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Nynorsk adjective forms
- Spanish non-lemma forms
- Spanish verb forms
- Spanish forms of verbs ending in -ar
- Swedish non-lemma forms
- Swedish adjective forms