the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
positive
How to use positive in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for positive.
Editorial note
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Quick take
the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of positive gathered in one view.
a film showing a photographic image whose tones correspond to those of the original subject
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.; "a positive attitude"; "the reviews were all positive"; "a positive benefit"; "a positive demand"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for positive.
noun
the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
noun
a film showing a photographic image whose tones correspond to those of the original subject
adjective
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.; "a positive attitude"; "the reviews were all positive"; "a positive benefit"; "a positive demand"
adjective
persuaded of; very sure; "were convinced that it would be to their advantage to join"; "I am positive he is lying"; "was confident he would win"
adjective
involving advantage or good; "a plus (or positive) factor"
See also: plus
adjective
indicating existence or presence of a suspected condition or pathogen; "a positive pregnancy test"
See also: confirming
adjective
formally laid down or imposed; "positive laws"
See also: prescribed
adjective
impossible to deny or disprove; "incontrovertible proof of the defendant's innocence"; "proof positive"; "an irrefutable argument"
See also: incontrovertible, irrefutable
adjective
of or relating to positivism; "positivist thinkers"; "positivist doctrine"; "positive philosophy"
See also: positivist, positivistic
adjective
reckoned, situated or tending in the direction which naturally or arbitrarily is taken to indicate increase or progress or onward motion; "positive increase in graduating students"
adjective
greater than zero; "positive numbers"
adjective
having a positive charge; "protons are positive"
See also: electropositive
adjective
marked by excessive confidence; "an arrogant and cocksure materialist"; "so overconfident and impudent as to speak to the queen"; "the less he knows the more positive he gets"
See also: cocksure, overconfident
Example sentences
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Here is a new CEO that appears to be looking to change things for the positive, yet everyone wants to be cynical and doubting.
You can find out more during our first Skype chat!Will you fund everyone and every thing?No. I'll still need to like your idea, and feel that a positive long-term return is possible.
But it is an encouraging sign that courts are able to adapt to the times and is thus a highly positive development.
Until someone or something completely outside my control fucked it up. Then I took my positive attitude and moved on to my next "last place to work".Kinda makes a difference if it's your company, huh?
Or, on the positive side, maybe it means taking funds on less than ideal terms but from an investor who will add large value to the venture apart from the cash element.
It honestly doesn't feel like a topic for a physics journal even though a reliable positive result would have profound implications for physics.
You can expand this to the whole economy being basically just a set of interdependent positive externalities.
Their existence's only positive value is as a clarion call to vigorous action by our legislators to amend the law to close the gap between the letter and spirit.
It will create a positive loop that encourages others to follow and interact with their main corporate account.- Respond before something is actually important.
Thought I’d highlight my favorite, perhaps non-obvious feature: the slope of the charts tells you whether the variable is positively or negatively correlated with the cost of buying.
This electoral victory may just show some serious positive influence in Mexico, where the realities of drug prohibition have inflicted a lot of suffering on a lot of innocent people, and that's the real victory here.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use positive in a sentence?
We're looking at a few key metrics to see if this change is a net positive for Chrome users.
What does positive mean?
the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution
What part of speech is positive?
positive is commonly used as noun, adjective.