POSITIVE

plus, positive

(adjective) involving advantage or good; “a plus (or positive) factor”

positive, convinced(p), confident

(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”

cocksure, overconfident, positive

(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”

positive, electropositive, positively charged

(adjective) having a positive charge; “protons are positive”

irrefutable, incontrovertible, positive

(adjective) impossible to deny or disprove; “incontrovertible proof of the defendant’s innocence”; “proof positive”; “an irrefutable argument”

positive, prescribed

(adjective) formally laid down or imposed; “positive laws”

positive

(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”

positive

(adjective) greater than zero; “positive numbers”

positive

(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”

positive, confirming

(adjective) indicating existence or presence of a suspected condition or pathogen; “a positive pregnancy test”

positivist, positivistic, positive

(adjective) of or relating to positivism; “positivist thinkers”; “positivist doctrine”; “positive philosophy”

positive

(noun) a film showing a photographic image whose tones correspond to those of the original subject

positive, positive degree

(noun) the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

positive (comparative more positive, superlative most positive)

Not negative or neutral.

(legal) Formally laid down. [from the 14th c.]

Stated definitively and without qualification. [from the 16th c.]

Fully assured in opinion. [from the 17th c.]

(mathematics) Of number, greater than zero. [from the 18th c.]

Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.

Overconfident, dogmatic.

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

(physics) Having more protons than electrons.

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

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

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

Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.

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

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

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

Optimistic. [from the 20th c.]

(chemistry) electropositive

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

(slang) HIV positive.

(New Age jargon) Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable; (often precedes 'energy', 'thought', 'feeling' or 'emotion').

Synonyms

• (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, sure, wis

Antonyms

• (physics): negative

• (mathematics): nonpositive

• (doubtful): uncertain, unsure

• (spiritual quality): bad, evil, nongood

Noun

positive (plural positives)

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

A favourable point or characteristic.

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

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

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

(photography) A positive image; one that displays true colors and shades, as opposed to a negative.

The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.

A positive result of a test.

Source: Wiktionary

Pos"i*tive, a. Etym: [OE. positif, F. positif, L. positivus. See Position.]

1. Having a real position, existence, or energy; existing in fact; real; actual; -- opposed to negative. "Positive good." Bacon.

2. Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations; absolute; -- opposed to relative; as, the idea of beauty is not positive, but depends on the different tastes individuals.

3. Definitely laid down; explicitly stated; clearly expressed; -- opposed to implied; as, a positive declaration or promise. Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward's son. Bacon.

4. Hence: Not admitting of any doubt, condition, qualification, or discretion; not dependent on circumstances or probabilities; not speculative; compelling assent or obedience; peremptory; indisputable; decisive; as, positive instructions; positive truth; positive proof. "'T is positive 'gainst all exceptions." Shak.

5. Prescribed by express enactment or institution; settled by arbitrary appointment; said of laws. In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so. Hooker.

6. Fully assured; confident; certain; sometimes, overconfident; dogmatic; overbearing; -- said of persons. Some positive, persisting fops we know, That, if once wrong, will needs be always. Pope.

7. Having the power of direct action or influence; as, a positive voice in legislation. Swift.

8. (Photog.)

Definition: Corresponding with the original in respect to the position of lights and shades, instead of having the lights and shades reversed; as, a positive picture.

9. (Chem.) (a) Electro-positive. (b) Hence, basic; metallic; not acid; -- opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals. Positive crystals (Opt.), a doubly refracting crystal in which the index of refraction for the extraordinary ray is greater than for the ordinary ray, and the former is refracted nearer to the axis than the latter, as quartz and ice; -- opposed to negative crystal, or one in which this characteristic is reversed, as Iceland spar, tourmaline, etc.

– Positive degree (Gram.), that state of an adjective or adverb which denotes simple quality, without comparison or relation to increase or diminution; as, wise, noble.

– Positive electricity (Elec), the kind of electricity which is developed when glass is rubbed with silk, or which appears at that pole of a voltaic battery attached to the plate that is not attacked by the exciting liquid; -- formerly called vitreous electricity; -- opposed to Ant: negative electricity.

– Positive eyepiece. See under Eyepiece.

– Positive law. See Municipal law, under Law.

– Positive motion (Mach.), motion which is derived from a driver through unyielding intermediate pieces, or by direct contact, and not through elastic connections, nor by means of friction, gravity, etc.; definite motion.

– Positive philosophy. See Positivism.

– Positive pole. (a) (Elec.) The pole of a battery or pile which yields positive or vitreous electricity; -- opposed to Ant: negative pole. (b) (Magnetism) The north pole. [R.] -- Positive quantity (Alg.), an affirmative quantity, or one affected by the sign plus [+].

– Positive rotation (Mech.), left-handed rotation.

– Positive sign (Math.), the sign [+] denoting plus, or more, or addition.

Pos"i*tive, n.

1. That which is capable of being affirmed; reality. South.

2. That which settles by absolute appointment.

3. (Gram.)

Definition: The positive degree or form.

4. (Photog.)

Definition: A picture in which the lights and shades correspond in position with those of the original, instead of being reversed, as in a negative. R. Hunt.

5. (Elec.)

Definition: The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

POSITIVE

Etymology

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Noun

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