affirmative

[uh-fur-muh-tiv]

adjective

1. affirming or assenting; asserting the truth, validity, or fact of something.

2. expressing agreement or consent; assenting.

   an affirmative reply.

3. positive; not negative.

4. Logic.,  noting a proposition in which a property of a subject is affirmed, as “All men are happy.”

noun

1. something that affirms or asserts; a positive statement or proposition; affirmation.

2. a reply indicating assent, as Yes or I do.

3. a manner or mode that indicates assent.

   a reply in the affirmative.

4. the side, as in a debate, that affirms or defends a statement that the opposite side denies or attacks.

   to speak for the affirmative.

interjection

1. (used to indicate agreement, assent, etc.).

   “Is this the right way to Lake George?” “Affirmative.”

affirmative

/ əˈfɜːmətɪv /

adjective

1. confirming or asserting something as true or valid

   an affirmative statement

2. indicating agreement or assent

   an affirmative answer

3. logic

   1. (of a categorial proposition) affirming the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in all birds have feathers; some men are married

   2. not containing negation Compare negative

noun

1. a positive assertion

2. a word or phrase stating agreement or assent, such as yes (esp in the phrase answer in the affirmative )

3. logic an affirmative proposition

4. the side in a debate that supports the proposition

1. military a signal codeword used to express assent or confirmation

Other Word Forms

• affirmatively adverb
• overaffirmative adjective
• overaffirmatively adverb
• preaffirmative adjective
• quasi-affirmative adjective
• quasi-affirmatively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of affirmative¹

1400–50; < Latin affirmātīvus, equivalent to affirmāt- ( affirmation ) + -īvus -ive; replacing late Middle English affirmatyff < Middle French < Latin

Example Sentences

One is a laminated La Opinión story about him trying to recruit more Latino students to Berkeley after affirmative action ended.

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An Associated Press analysis finds that the number of Black students enrolling at many elite colleges has dropped in the two years since the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in admissions.

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An echo answered in the affirmative: cave cave cave cave .

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Wen replied in the affirmative, saying he was “going to stop.”

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A full count of castes promises a sharper picture of who truly benefits from affirmative action and who is left behind.

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