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Definition of positive - 10 dictionary results

pos⋅i⋅tive

  [poz-i-tiv]
Use positive in a Sentence
–adjective
1. explicitly stated, stipulated, or expressed: a positive acceptance of the agreement.
2. admitting of no question: positive proof.
3. stated; express; emphatic: a positive denial.
4. confident in opinion or assertion; fully assured: He is positive that he will win the contest.
5. overconfident or dogmatic: The less he knows, the more positive he gets.
6. without relation to or comparison with other things; not relative or comparative; absolute.
7. Informal. downright; out-and-out: She's a positive genius.
8. determined by enactment or convention; arbitrarily laid down: positive law.
9. emphasizing what is laudable, hopeful, or to the good; constructive: a positive attitude toward the future; positive things to say about a painting.
10. not speculative or theoretical; practical: a positive approach to the problem.
11. possessing an actual force, being, existence, etc.
12. Philosophy.
a. constructive and sure, rather than skeptical.
b. concerned with or based on matters of experience: positive philosophy.
13. showing or expressing approval or agreement; favorable: a positive reaction to the speech.
14. consisting in or characterized by the presence or possession of distinguishing or marked qualities or features (opposed to negative ): Light is positive, darkness negative.
15. noting the presence of such qualities, as a term.
16. measured or proceeding in a direction assumed as beneficial, progressive, or auspicious: a positive upturn in the stock market.
17. Electricity.
a. of, pertaining to, or characterized by positive electricity.
b. indicating a point in a circuit that has a higher potential than that of another point, the current flowing from the point of higher potential to the point of lower potential.
18. of, pertaining to, or noting the north pole of a magnet.
19. Chemistry. (of an element or group) tending to lose electrons and become positively charged; basic.
20. Grammar. being, noting, or pertaining to the initial degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs, as the positive form good. Compare comparative (def. 4), superlative (def. 2).
21. Medicine/Medical.
a. (of blood, affected tissue, etc.) showing the presence of disease.
b. (of a diagnostic test) indicating disease.
22. Biochemistry. Rh factor.
23. Mathematics. noting a quantity greater than zero.
24. (of government) assuming control or regulation of activities beyond those involved merely with the maintenance of law and order.
25. Biology. oriented or moving toward the focus of excitation: a positive tropism.
26. Photography. denoting a print or transparency showing the brightness values as they are in the subject.
27. Machinery. noting or pertaining to a process or machine part having a fixed or certain operation, esp. as the result of elimination of play, free motion, etc.: positive lubrication.
–noun
28. something positive.
29. a positive quality or characteristic.
30. a positive quantity or symbol.
31. Grammar.
a. the positive degree.
b. a form in the positive, as good or smooth.
32. Photography. a positive image, as on a print or transparency.
Origin:
1250–1300; < L positīvus; r. ME positif < MF < L, as above. See posit, -ive

Related forms:
pos⋅i⋅tive⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. definite, unequivocal, categorical, clear, precise, sure. 2. incontrovertible, indisputable. 4. unquestioning. 4, 5. See sure.

Antonyms:
1. indefinite. 2. doubtful. 4. unsure, unconfident, uncertain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To positive
pos·i·tive   (pŏz'ĭ-tĭv)   
adj.  
  1. Characterized by or displaying certainty, acceptance, or affirmation: a positive answer; positive criticism.
  2. Measured or moving forward or in a direction of increase or progress.
  3. Explicitly or openly expressed or laid down: a positive demand.
  4. Admitting of no doubt; irrefutable: positive proof.
    1. Very sure; confident: I'm positive he's right. See Synonyms at sure.
    2. Overconfident; dogmatic.
    3. Of or relating to positivism.
    4. Of or relating to laws imposed by human authority rather than by nature or reason alone: "the glaring discrepancy between American positive law and natural rights" (David Brion Davis).
    5. Of or relating to religion based on revelation rather than on nature or reason alone.
    6. Relating to or designating a quantity greater than zero.
    7. Relating to or designating the sign (+).
    8. Relating to or designating a quantity, number, angle, or direction opposite to another designated as negative.
  6. Formally or arbitrarily determined; prescribed.
  7. Concerned with practical rather than theoretical matters.
  8. Composed of or characterized by the presence of particular qualities or attributes; real.
  9. Philosophy
    1. Of or relating to positivism.
    2. Of or relating to laws imposed by human authority rather than by nature or reason alone: "the glaring discrepancy between American positive law and natural rights" (David Brion Davis).
    3. Of or relating to religion based on revelation rather than on nature or reason alone.
    4. Relating to or designating a quantity greater than zero.
    5. Relating to or designating the sign (+).
    6. Relating to or designating a quantity, number, angle, or direction opposite to another designated as negative.
  10. Informal Utter; absolute: a positive darling.
  11. Mathematics
    1. Relating to or designating a quantity greater than zero.
    2. Relating to or designating the sign (+).
    3. Relating to or designating a quantity, number, angle, or direction opposite to another designated as negative.
  12. Physics Relating to or designating an electric charge of a sign opposite to that of an electron.
  13. Medicine Indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism: a positive test for pregnancy.
  14. Biology Indicating or characterized by response or motion toward the source of a stimulus, such as light: positive tropism.
  15. Having the areas of light and dark in their original and normal relationship, as in a photographic print made from a negative.
  16. Grammar Of, relating to, or being the simple uncompared degree of an adjective or adverb, as opposed to either the comparative or superlative.
  17. Driven by or generating power directly through intermediate machine parts having little or no play: positive drive.
n.  
  1. An affirmative element or characteristic.
  2. Mathematics A quantity greater than zero.
  3. Physics A positive electric charge.
  4. A photographic image in which the lights and darks appear as they do in nature.
  5. Grammar
    1. The uncompared degree of an adjective or adverb.
    2. A word in this degree.
  6. Music A division of some pipe organs, similar in sound to the great but smaller and less powerful.

[Middle English, having a specified quality, from Old French positif, from Latin positīvus, formally laid down, from positus, past participle of pōnere, to place; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]
pos'i·tive·ly adv., pos'i·tive·ness, pos'i·tiv'i·ty n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Positive

Pos"i*tive\, a. 1. (Mach. & Mech.) (a) Designating, or pertaining to, a motion or device in which the movement derived from a driver, or the grip or hold of a restraining piece, is communicated through an unyielding intermediate piece or pieces; as, a claw clutch is a positive clutch, while a friction clutch is not. (b) Designating, or pertaining to, a device giving a to-and-fro motion; as, a positive dobby.

2. (Vehicles) Designating a method of steering or turning in which the steering wheels move so that they describe concentric arcs in making a turn, to insure freedom from side slip or harmful resistance.

Positive

Pos"i*tive\, a. [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.) 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 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 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.

Positive

Pos"i*tive\, n. 1. That which is capable of being affirmed; reality. --South.

2. That which settles by absolute appointment.

3. (Gram.) The positive degree or form.

4. (Photog.) 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.) The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : positive
Spanish: positivo, afirmativo,
German: positiv,
Japanese: 肯定の
More Translations »

positive 
c.1300, a legal term meaning "formally laid down," from O.Fr. positif (13c.), from L. positivus "settled by arbitrary agreement, positive" (opposed to naturalis "natural"), from positus, pp. of ponere "put, place" (see position). Sense broadened to "expressed without qualification" (1598), then "confident in opinion" (1665); mathematical use is from 1704; in electricity, 1755. Psychological sense of "concentrating on what is constructive and good" is recorded from 1916. Positivism (1847) is the philosophy of Auguste Comte, who published "Philosophie positive" in 1830.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1pos·i·tive
Pronunciation: 'päz-&t-iv, 'päz-tiv
Function: adjective
1 : directed or moving towarda source of stimulation positive taxis>
2 : having rendition of light and shade similar in tone to the tones of the original positive photographicimage>
3 a (1) : being, relating to, or charged with electricity of which the proton is the elementary unit and which predominates in a glass body after being rubbed with silk(2) : having more protons than electrons positive ion> b (1) : having higher electrical potential and constituting the part from which the current flows to theexternal circuit positive terminal of a discharging storage battery> (2) : being an electron-collecting electrode of an electron tube
4 a : marked by orindicating acceptance, approval, or affirmation b : affirming the presence of that sought or suspected to be present positive test for blood>
5 of alens : converging light rays and forming a real inverted image —pos·i·tive·ly /-lE, for emphasis often "päz-&-'tiv-/ adverb —pos·i·tive·ness /'päz-&t-iv-n&s, 'päz-tiv-/ noun

Main Entry: 2positive
Function: noun
: a positive photograph or a print from a negative
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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positive pos·i·tive (pŏz'ĭ-tĭv)
adj.

  1. Characterized by or displaying certainty, acceptance, or affirmation.
  2. Indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
  3. Indicating or characterized by response or motion toward the source of a stimulus, such as light.
  4. Relating to or designating electric charge of a sign opposite to that of an electron.
pos'i·tive·ness or pos'i·tiv'i·ty n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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positive   (pŏz'ĭ-tĭv)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. Greater than zero.
  2. Having an electric charge or voltage greater than zero.
  3. Indicating the presence of a disease, condition, or organism, as a diagnostic test.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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