affirmative

American  

[uh-fur-muh-tiv] / əˈfɜr mə tɪv /

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.”

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

Etymology

Origin of affirmative

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

Explanation

Something affirmative expresses agreement or approval, like the affirmative nod your mother gives you when you ask to be excused from the dinner table. A formal way of saying "Yes" is "Affirmative!" Anything affirmative is approving of something: affirmative words support someone or something. Being affirmative is the opposite of being negative or contradicting. A pat on the back is affirmative so is a signature you need to complete a form. Also, you can use affirmative as a formal way of saying yes to something. This is common in the military. It might sound a little odd, but if your teacher asked, "Does 10 plus 10 equal 20?" you could answer, "Affirmative!"

Example Sentences

Affirmative action was defined as “any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, adopted to correct or compensate for a past or present discrimination from recurring in the future.”

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2025

The penalties could be per customer or per bottle — the case will be prosecuted in civil court by the County Counsel’s Affirmative Litigation and Consumer Protection Division.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024

Affirmative consent requires both people to give "clear and enthusiastic communication", rather than simply the absence of a "no".

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2024

The men also claimed that an investigator for the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action used “manipulative tactics” with them in interviews and that their accuser helped draft the report.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2023

Up until that point it had always been: “So Joyce, how do black people feel about Affirmative Action?”

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers