positive
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- certain, assured, confident, convinced, sure
- definite, absolute, categorical, certain, clear, conclusive, decisive, explicit, express, firm, real
- helpful, beneficial, constructive, practical, productive, progressive, useful
- absolute, complete, consummate, downright, out-and-out, perfect, thorough, utter

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Antonyms: doubtful, negative
Contrasted words: irresolute, uncertain, undecided, unsure, contestable, controvertible, debatable, disputable, doubtful, dubious, inconclusive, questionable, unconvincing, impractical, unsound, unusable
Related Words: clear, unmistakable, decisive, emphatic, energetic, firm, forceful, forcible, explicit, express, specific, unambiguous, assured, practical, reasonable, sound

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English Thesaurus: know, can tell, sure, certain, convinced, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pos‧i‧tive¹ S2 W2 AC /ˈpɒzətɪv, ˈpɒzɪtɪv $ ˈpɑː-/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: positive; adverb: positively; adjective: positive]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: positif, from Latin positivus, from positus; ⇒ position¹]

1. ATTITUDE if you are positive about things, you are hopeful and confident, and think about what is good in a situation rather than what is bad Antonym : negative
positive about
You’ve got to be more positive about your work.
positive attitude/approach/outlook etc
She’s got a really positive attitude to life.
the power of positive thinking
‘Think positive!’ she advised herself.

2. GOOD THING good or useful Antonym : negative:
At least something positive has come out of the situation.
Write down all the positive things about your life.
The rural environment was having a positive effect on the children’s health.
It’s been a very positive experience for her.
TV can be a positive influence.
the positive contribution to the community made by many older people
It’s been a difficult time but, on the positive side, I feel physically fine.
Women should be portrayed in a more positive light.

3. ACTION if you take positive action, you do something definite in order to try to achieve something:
We need to take positive steps to improve the situation of families in poverty.
Positive action was required.
It’s a relief to know that something positive is being done.

4. SUPPORT expressing support, agreement, or approval Antonym : negative
positive response/reaction
The response we’ve had from the public has been very positive.
We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the people of this city.
positive about
Most people have been very positive about the show.

5. SURE [not before noun] very sure, with no doubt at all that something is right or true Synonym : certain
positive (that)
Are you absolutely positive you locked the door?
‘Are you sure about that?’ ‘Positive.’

6. SIGN showing that something is likely to succeed or improve:
The fact that he’s breathing on his own again is a positive sign.

7. PROOF positive proof/evidence/identification etc proof etc that shows that there is no doubt that something is true:
The witness made a positive identification.

8. SCIENTIFIC TEST showing signs of the medical condition or chemical that is being looked for Antonym : negative:
The test results came back positive.
athletes who had tested positive for banned substances
children who are HIV positive

9. EMPHASIS [only before noun] spoken used to emphasize how good or bad something is Synonym : total:
The journey was a positive nightmare.

10. NUMBER technical a positive number is more than zero Antonym : negative

11. ELECTRICITY technical having the type of electrical charge that is carried by protons Antonym : negative:
a positive charge

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. positive² noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: positive; adverb: positively; adjective: positive]
a quality or feature that is good or useful Antonym : negative:
You can find positives in any situation.
Always emphasise the positive.
⇒ false positive

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

positive
adj.
I. certain
VERBS be, seem, sound
ADV. absolutely, quite I'm absolutely positive it was him.
fairly
PREP. about She seemed fairly positive about it.
of Are you positive of your facts?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

positive
II. hopeful and confident/encouraging
VERBS appear, be, feel, seem, sound | remain
ADV. distinctly, extremely, highly, overwhelmingly, really, very He took a highly positive view of the matter.
entirely, wholly | fairly, mildly, moderately, quite | broadly, essentially, generally | apparently, seemingly
PREP. about sounding very positive about his chances

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

positive
III. showing that sth has happened/is present
VERBS be, prove, test The test proved positive.
ADV. strongly, weakly (both technical)
PREP. for He tested positive for HIV.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

positive

a positive attitude/outlook
Having a positive attitude makes life so much better.
a positive approach
This is just the positive approach that the school needs.
a positive view
He takes a fairly positive view of the future.
a positive thought
Think positive thoughts.
positive thinking
Many people believe that positive thinking can help your recovery from serious illnesses.
think positive (=think positive thoughts)
Cheer up and think positive.
a positive thing
That's not a very positive thing to say.
a positive aspect
There are a lot of positive aspects to retirement.
a positive effect/impact
Exercise has a positive effect on health.
a positive influence
His mother was a strong positive influence.
a positive contribution
Most refugees are determined to make a positive contribution to their new country.
a positive result/outcome
We hope there will be a positive outcome to the talks.
a positive experience
Working here has been a very positive experience for me.
a positive role model
We should provide girls with more positive role models.
a positive image
It's important to promote a positive image of our industry to young people.
see/present something in a positive light (=see or present something as good)
If you spend a year travelling after school, employers often see this in a positive light.
The merger was presented to the world in a positive light.
on the positive side (=used when saying what is good about something)
On the positive side, the company’s financial condition remains strong.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

know to recognize someone or something. Know is often used in everyday English instead of recognize:
How do you know that it is real gold?
I know him from somewhere.
I can’t remember his name, but I know his face.
can tell to be able to recognize someone or something:
I could tell that it was him by his voice.
Can you tell that it’s not real leather?
It’s difficult to be able to tell them apart (=to recognize that they are different).
sure adjective believing that something is definitely true or correct:
I’m sure that you’re right.
‘The car was a BMW’ ‘Are you sure?’
I’m not sure what the best thing to do is.
certain adjective completely sure. Certain is more formal than sure, and it is very commonly used in writing:
The police were certain that they had found the killer.
I think he’s married, but I’m not certain about it.
convinced adjective sure that something is true, even though you cannot prove it:
She became convinced that her boyfriend was seeing someone else.
Brown’s wife was convinced of his innocence.
positive adjective especially spoken completely sure that something is true, especially when other people are not sure:
She said she was positive that the exam was next Tuesday.
I’m absolutely positive I haven’t made a mistake.
satisfied adjective sure that you know the truth about something that has happened, because you have enough information:
The authorities are now satisfied that her death was an accident.
confident adjective sure that something good will happen or that you will achieve something:
Doctors are confident that he’ll make a full recovery.
A spokesman said the government was confident of winning the vote.
have no doubt (also be in no doubt) verb phrase to have no doubts in your mind about something:
I have no doubt that his story is true.
He was in no doubt about what he should do next.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

optimistic believing that good things will happen:
I’m optimistic about our chances of winning.
an optimistic view of the future
hopeful believing that what you hope for will happen:
The test results made him feel more hopeful about his chances of recovery.
positive thinking about what is good in a situation, rather than what is bad:
Try to be more positive about your work.
She has a very positive attitude to life.
upbeat having a cheerful attitude and showing that you expect to succeed, or that a situation will get better, especially the economic or political situation:
The Prime Minister was upbeat, predicting that the economy would soon come out of recession.
an upbeat message about the party’s chances of winning the election
bullish feeling confident about the future – used especially when talking the economic situation, or a company’s chances of success:
He’s very bullish about the company’s prospects.
Stockmarket analysts expect the bullish trend to continue.
sanguine formal hopeful and not worried about what will happen in the future, especially when the situation seems difficult – a very formal use:
Koons himself somehow remains sanguine in the face of all the criticism.
Other commentators are less sanguine, and fear that the world economy is on the verge of recession.
rosy if the future or your life seems rosy, it seems good and you expect good things to happen:
The future looks rosy for the team.
Returning soldiers found life less rosy than they had hoped.
The price of oil keeps going up, and things look pretty rosy for the big oil companies.
look on the bright side to consider the good parts of a situation, which seems bad in many other ways – used especially when telling someone that they should do this:
Look on the bright side – it could have been a lot worse.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

sure adjective believing that something is definitely true or correct:
I’m sure that you’re right.
‘The car was a BMW’ ‘Are you sure?’
I’m not sure what the best thing to do is.
certain adjective completely sure. Certain is more formal than sure, and it is very commonly used in writing:
The police were certain that they had found the killer.
I think he’s married, but I’m not certain about it.
convinced adjective sure that something is true, even though you cannot prove it:
She became convinced that her boyfriend was seeing someone else.
Brown’s wife was convinced of his innocence.
positive adjective especially spoken completely sure that something is true, especially when other people are not sure:
She said she was positive that the exam was next Tuesday.
I’m absolutely positive I haven’t made a mistake.
satisfied adjective sure that you know the truth about something that has happened, because you have enough information:
The authorities are now satisfied that her death was an accident.
confident adjective sure that something good will happen or that you will achieve something:
Doctors are confident that he’ll make a full recovery.
A spokesman said the government was confident of winning the vote.
have no doubt (also be in no doubt) verb phrase to have no doubts in your mind about something:
I have no doubt that his story is true.
He was in no doubt about what he should do next.
know verb to have a strong feeling that something is true or correct:
I just know that she will love this necklace.
When the phone rang, we knew something terrible must have happened.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲