positive

PAH-zi-tiv/ˈpɑzɪtɪv/UKPOZ-i-tiv/ˈpɒzɨtɪv/

30 meanings of positive

1
for the betteradjective
Good, helpful, or making things better.
Like good ingredients that make a whole meal taste better.
Exercise has a positive effect on your mood.
Her advice was a positive influence on the whole team.
UsageOften a positive effect on something.
Similargood
Oppositebad
2
adjective
Showing that someone likes or approves of something.
Like a thumbs-up from someone who wants you to do well.
The teacher gave her a positive report.
Most people had a positive reaction to the new park.
Similarfavorable
Oppositenegative
3
optimisticadjective
Hopeful and expecting good things to happen.
Like seeing a glass as half full instead of half empty.
She stayed positive even after losing her job.
Try to keep a positive attitude during hard times.
UsageSay positive about something, or stay positive.
Similaroptimistic, hopeful, upbeat, sanguine, buoyant
Oppositenegative, pessimistic, gloomy, despondent
4
very sureadjective
Very sure about something.
Like being so sure you'd bet money on it.
I'm positive I locked the door.
Are you positive you turned off the stove?
UsageSay I'm positive I did it, or ask Are you positive?
Similarsure, certain, confident
Oppositeunsure, uncertain, doubtful
5
a yes resultnouncountable
A test result that says the thing being tested for was found.
Like a search that finally turns up what you were looking for.
The doctor called to say it was a positive.
There were three positives among the new samples.
UsageSay a positive for something. A false positive is a result that wrongly says something is there.
Oppositenegative
6
good pointnouncountable
A good point about something.
Like the good things on a list of pros and cons.
A positive of living here is the quiet street.
Try to list the positives before you decide.
UsageOften the positives, as in look at the positives.
Similaradvantage, plus, benefit, upside, strength
Oppositenegative, disadvantage, drawback, downside
7
above zeroadjective
Larger than zero.
Like having money in your account instead of owing it.
Five is a positive number.
Your bank balance is positive when it is above zero.
Oppositenegative
Note
8
adjective
Showing that the thing being tested for is there, or giving support to an idea.
Like a smoke alarm going off because it really found smoke.
The test came back positive for the virus.
Her allergy test was positive for peanuts.
UsageSay test positive for something, or the test came back positive.
Oppositenegative
9
plus chargeadjective
Having an electric charge that pulls negative charges toward it.
Like the end of a battery marked with a plus sign.
A positive ion has lost one or more electrons.
When you rub the glass rod, it becomes positive.
Oppositenegative
Note
10
HIVadjectiveslang
Having HIV, the virus that attacks the immune system.
She has been positive for ten years and stays healthy.
She is positive, so she takes her HIV medicine every day.
UsageIn writing, say HIV-positive so people know what you mean.
Oppositenegative
Note

Less common meanings

11
blood typeadjective
Of blood or a person: having the Rh factor, said after the blood type letter, as in 'O positive.'
The nurse checked my card and said my blood type is A positive.
The hospital is asking people who are B positive to come in and give blood.
Oppositenegative
Note
12
explicitadjective
Said clearly and firmly, with no doubt.
Like an answer with no 'maybe' in it at all.
The doctor's instructions were positive: no sugar for a month.
The captain gave positive orders to stay below deck.
Similarcategorical, definite, firm, emphatic, explicit
Oppositeequivocal, tentative, vague, qualified
13
saying yesadjective
Saying yes to something rather than saying no.
Like saying a clear 'yes' instead of staying quiet.
Her reply was positive, so she will come to the party.
We asked if we could camp there, and the answer was positive.
Similaraffirmative
Oppositenegative
14
nouncountable
A thing in physics that has a value above zero, such as a positive electric charge.
Like the plus end of a battery that pushes against the minus end.
Opposite charges attract, so a positive pulls a negative toward it.
In the atom drawing, the positives are in the center.
Oppositenegative
15
finished picturenouncountable
A photo or image that shows colors and shades just as they really are.
Like the finished photo that looks just like the real scene.
She held the positive up to the light to check the colors.
From each negative, the lab made a positive to hang on the wall.
Oppositenegative
16
adjective
Of a picture, showing light, shade, and color just as they really are.
Like a photo that looks just like what you saw, not flipped to opposite colors.
The positive print showed the colors exactly as the camera saw them.
Once developed, the film gave a positive image, not a reversed one.
Oppositenegative
Note
17
adjective
Real and actual, based on facts rather than ideas or guesses.
Like seeing something with your own eyes instead of only imagining it.
We need positive proof, not just a guess.
The police had no positive evidence that he took the money.
UsageOften in positive proof and positive evidence.
Similarconcrete, hard, actual, real
Oppositespeculative, theoretical, hypothetical
Note
18
not an absenceadjective
Defined by real features that are there, not by things that are missing.
Like describing a room by the furniture in it, not by what's empty.
A positive definition says what a thing is, not what it isn't.
In the drawing, the vase is the positive shape, and the rest is empty.
Oppositenegative
19
base degreenouncountable
In grammar, the plain form of an adjective or adverb, like 'big', not 'bigger' or 'biggest'.
Like the first step on a staircase, before you climb higher.
'Tall' is the positive; 'taller' and 'tallest' come from it.
Teachers usually teach the positive before the comparative and superlative.
20
adjective
Describing the basic form of an adjective or adverb, not the form that means more or most.
Like the basic size of a shirt before someone asks for a bigger one.
'Happy' is the positive form, but 'happier' and 'happiest' are not.
Dictionaries list the positive form of each adjective first.
Note
21
utteradjective
Complete or total, used to make a word stronger (a positive disaster).
Like calling something 'a total win' to mean completely a win.
The whole trip was a positive nightmare.
She is a positive angel with the children.
UsageUsed before a noun: a positive nightmare.
22
adjective
Too sure that you are right, even when you might be wrong.
Like someone who insists they are right and never stops to listen.
He was so positive about his answer that he refused to check it.
Don't be too positive before you know all the facts.
Similardogmatic, cocksure, overconfident
Note
23
adjective
Made and set officially by those in charge, not coming from custom or nature.
Like a rule someone wrote on paper, not just one everyone feels is fair.
Tax rules are positive law, made by lawmakers, not by custom.
The judge applied the positive law of the country.
UsageMostly in the phrase positive law.
Similarstatutory
Oppositenatural, customary
Note
24
adjective
Of an element, tending to form a positive charge, as metals do.
Like a person quick to give things away, these elements readily give up charge.
Sodium behaves as a strongly positive metal in most reactions.
Potassium ranks among the most positive of the common elements.
Similarelectropositive
Oppositenegative, electronegative
Note
25
adjective
Describing a number that is zero or greater than zero.
26
adjective
Of a substance in chemistry, acting as a base or metal, not as an acid.
27
adjective
Belonging to a thing itself and staying the same, not changing with what is around it.
28
noun
A real or true thing that can be stated as a fact.
rating Positives by their Privatives
1692, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions
29
adjective
Of a verb, not made negative.
30
noun
The plus side plate in a battery.

Practice

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Origin

From Latin positivus, based on ponere meaning "to place", which came into English through Old French positif.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English positive comes from Latin positivus through Old French positif. en.wiktionary.org
Latin positivus is based on ponere, meaning to place. en.wiktionary.org