Positive Meaning
/ˈpɑzɪtɪv/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjIncluded, present, characterized by affirmation.
adjFormally laid down.
Sentence Examples
I am positive that he is wrong.
Try to have a positive attitude about everything.
The tests have so far yielded positive results.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The test for the disease came back ____, meaning the patient was healthy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The test came back ____, confirming that the patient had contracted the infection.
Word Origin & History
From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so."
— 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie:
"Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward’s son."
— 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:
"Notice that each time the calculator balance becomes positive (zero or greater), the dollar item that forces this balance to become positive is selected for examination. Since each of these dollar items is contained […]"
— 1987, Roger H. Hermanson, Robert H. Strawser, Auditing Theory and Practice^(https://books.google.com/books?id=Vh7yAAAAMAAJ&q=%22positive+(zero+or+greater%22&dq=%22positive+(zero+or+greater%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0), 4th edition, Irwin, →ISBN, page 323:
"a step 10 which judges whether each of the m amounts of differences in amount of voltage changes ΔHv1 to ΔHvm are positive (zero or greater than zero) or negative (less than zero): and […]"
— 1996 December 10, United States Patent and Trademark Office, “5,583,871: Method for high-speed charging of secondary batteries and apparatus therefor. Stewart N. Simmonds, Port Coquitlam, Canada, and Isamu Miyamoto, Tokyo, Japan, assignors to Datalink Corporation, Tokyo, Japan”, in Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patents^(https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2wbAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA1528&dq=%22positive+(zero+or+greater%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0#v=onepage&q=%22positive%20(zero%20or%20greater%22&f=false), volume 1193, numbers 1-2, page 1528:
"Not to conſent to the Enacting of ſuch a Law, which has no view beſide to general Good, unleſs another Law ſhall at the ſame time paſs, with no other view but that of advancing the Power of one Party alone; What is this but to claim a positive Voice as well as a negative?"
— 1701, [Jonathan Swift], “Chapter I”, in A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, with the Consequences They Had upon Both Those States, London: […] John Nutt […], →OCLC, page 11:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The test for the disease came back ____, meaning the patient was healthy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The test came back ____, confirming that the patient had contracted the infection.