positive (English) - Vocabulary & GRE App

Direct Cross-Language Association: “positive” in German

This word also exists in German! Meaning: “inflection of positiv:”

View German Entry →

positive

EN • English

//ˈpɑzɪtɪv//(General American)

Direct German Translations & Equivalents:

Click any term below to jump straight to its full vocabulary entry in German:

[DE]Grundstufe [DE]Positiv [DE]Positives [DE]gute Seite [DE]Vorteil [DE]Positivfilm

Definitions & Usage

adjective

Included, present, characterized by affirmation.

adjective

(law) Formally laid down.

adjective

Stated definitively and without qualification.

Translations:

adjective

Fully assured in opinion.

Example: “I’m absolutely positive you've spelt that wrong.”

Synonyms:

certain sure wis

adjective

(mathematics, of a number) Greater than zero.

adjective

(mathematics, of a number, sometimes) Greater than or equal to zero.

Synonyms:

nonnegative

adjective

Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.

adjective

Overconfident, dogmatic.

Translations:

adjective

(chiefly philosophy) Actual, real, concrete, not theoretical or speculative.

Example: “1885, Marcellin Berthelot, Les Origines de l'Alkimie as quoted in M. M. Pattison Muir, A History of Chemical Theories and Laws, 1907. Chemistry is not a primitive science, like geometry or astronomy; it is constructed from the debris of a previous scientific formation; a formation half chimerical and half positive...”

Translations:

adjective

#10

(physics) Having more protons than electrons.

Example: “A cation is a positive ion as it has more protons than electrons.”

Translations:

adjective

#11

(grammar) Describing the primary sense of an adjective, adverb or noun; not comparative, superlative, augmentative nor diminutive.

Example: “‘Better’ is an irregular comparative of the positive form ‘good’.”

Translations:[DE]Grundstufe [DE]Positiv

adjective

#12

(grammar) Describing a verb that is not negated, especially in languages which have distinct positive and negative verb forms, e.g., Finnish.

adjective

#13

Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations.

Example: “The idea of beauty is not positive, but depends on the different tastes of individuals.”

Example: “positive knowledge”

Synonyms:

absolute

adjective

#14

Characterized by the existence or presence of distinguishing qualities or features, rather than by their absence.

Example: “The box was not empty – I felt some positive substance within it.”

adjective

#15

Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.

Example: “The results of our experiment are positive.”

adjective

#16

Confirmed, straight-up.

adjective

#17

(photography) Of a visual image, true to the original in light, shade and colour values.

Example: “A positive photograph can be developed from a photographic negative.”

Translations:

adjective

#18

Favorable, desirable by those interested or invested in that which is being judged.

Example: “The first-night reviews were largely positive.”

Synonyms:

good acceptable agreeable all right amazing as fine as Dick's hatband awesome beatific

Translations:

adjective

#19

Wholly what is expressed; colloquially downright, entire, outright.

Example: “Good lord, you've built up a positive arsenal of weaponry here.”

Translations:

adjective

#20

Optimistic.

Example: “He has a positive outlook on life.”

Translations:

adjective

#21

(chemistry) electropositive

adjective

#22

(chemistry) basic; metallic; not acid; opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.

adjective

#23

(slang) HIV positive.

Example: “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.”

Translations:

adjective

#24

(New Age jargon) Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable.

Example: “positive energy; positive thoughts, feelings or emotions”

Translations:

noun

#25

A thing capable of being affirmed; something real or actual.

Translations:

noun

#26

A favourable point or characteristic.

Translations:[DE]Positives [DE]gute Seite [DE]Vorteil

noun

#27

Something having a positive value in physics, such as an electric charge.

Translations:

noun

#28

(grammar) A degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.

noun

#29

(grammar) An adjective or adverb in the positive degree.

noun

#30

(photography) A positive image; one that displays true colors and shades, not their opposites or complements.

Translations:[DE]Positiv [DE]Positivfilm

noun

#31

The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.

Translations:

noun

#32

A positive result of a test.

Translations:

Notable Literary & Historical Quotes

“In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.”

— 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie:

“Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward’s son.”

— 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

“Notice that each time the calculator balance becomes positive (zero or greater), the dollar item that forces this balance to become positive is selected for examination. Since each of these dollar items is contained […]”

— 1987, Roger H. Hermanson, Robert H. Strawser, Auditing Theory and Practice^(https://books.google.com/books?id=Vh7yAAAAMAAJ&q=%22positive+(zero+or+greater%22&dq=%22positive+(zero+or+greater%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0), 4th edition, Irwin, →ISBN, page 323: