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positive
[ poz-i-tiv ]
/ ˈpɒz ɪ tɪv /
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adjective
noun
OTHER WORDS FOR positive
OPPOSITES FOR positive
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of positive
OTHER WORDS FROM positive
Words nearby positive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
WHEN TO USE
What are other ways to say positive?
To be positive of something is to be fully assured of its truth or accuracy. How is positive different from certain, confident, and sure? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
How to use positive in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for positive
positive
/ (ˈpɒzɪtɪv) /
adjective
noun
Compare negative
Derived forms of positive
positiveness or positivity, nounWord Origin for positive
C13: from Late Latin positīvus positive, agreed on an arbitrary basis, from pōnere to place
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for positive
positive
[ pŏz′ĭ-tĭv ]
Greater than zero.
Having an electric charge or voltage greater than zero.
Indicating the presence of a disease, condition, or organism, as a diagnostic test.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.