positive

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈpɑzɪtɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #2035

Meanings

1

adj
Hopeful, confident, and focused on good things.

She has a very positive attitude toward life.
2

adj
Good or helpful; involving an advantage.

The change had a positive effect on sales.
3

adj
Completely sure or certain about something.

Are you positive you locked the door?
4

adj
Showing that a substance or condition is present (in a test).

The pregnancy test came back positive.
5

adj
Greater than zero.

Two and five are positive numbers.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · good or helpful; involving... plus

4 adj · showing that a substance or... confirming

Word family

Forms positivenesspositives

Derived forms body-positivecontrapositivecopositivecopropositivecovid-positivecytopositivediapositivedipositivegeopositivegram-positivehiv-positivehomopositive

Appears in

Phrases (2)

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Proverbs (1)

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Accentuate the positive

Simplified etymology

Positive ultimately derives from Latin ponere, “to place,” and originally carried the idea of something firmly laid down. In 14th-century English it described formally established laws; from this came the senses “explicit and unquestionable,” as in proof positive, and later “certain” or “convinced.”

Etymology

From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.

positif Old French positivus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# positive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɑzɪtɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 2035

## Meanings
1. Hopeful, confident, and focused on good things.
2. Good or helpful; involving an advantage.
3. Completely sure or certain about something.
4. Showing that a substance or condition is present (in a test).
5. Greater than zero.

## Examples
- She has a very positive attitude toward life.
- The change had a positive effect on sales.
- Are you positive you locked the door?
- The pregnancy test came back positive.
- Two and five are positive numbers.

## Derived Forms
- body-positive
- contrapositive
- copositive
- copropositive
- covid-positive
- cytopositive
- diapositive
- dipositive
- geopositive
- gram-positive
- hiv-positive
- homopositive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: positif
- Root: positivus
- Affix: -ive - tending to

## Etymology
From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.

## AI Etymology
Positive comes from Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit. The historical chain includes positif (Old French), positivus (Latin). In present-day English it covers hopeful, confident, and focused on good things, good or helpful; involving an advantage, and completely sure or certain about something. The wider family includes derived forms such as body-positive, contrapositive, copositive, copropositive, covid-positive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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