positive

adjective
UK: /ˈpɒz.ə.tɪv/
US: /ˈpɑː.zə.t̬ɪv/

  1. Feeling or showing optimism and confidence.

    1. I'm positive about my test results today. [ ] [ ]
    2. She has a positive attitude even when things are difficult in her life. [ ] [ ]

  2. Good or useful.

    1. The meeting had a positive result for everyone. [ ] [ ]
    2. We need to focus on the positive aspects of this challenging situation. [ ] [ ]

  3. Certain or sure about something.

    1. I am positive that I locked the door before leaving. [ ] [ ]
    2. She seemed quite positive about getting the job after the interview process. [ ] [ ]

  4. Showing the presence of a particular substance or condition.

    1. The test came back positive for the virus, sadly. [ ] [ ]
    2. The doctor said my blood test was positive, and he gave me medicine. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

optimistic upbeat certain sure definite good favorable constructive
positive noun

  1. A good or useful quality or thing.

    1. We need to focus on the positives. [ ] [ ]
    2. One of the positives of working from home is that I save money on gas. [ ] [ ]

  2. A photograph or film in which light areas appear light and dark areas appear dark.

    1. I made a positive from the original negative. [ ] [ ]
    2. He examined the positive closely to ensure it was properly developed correctly. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "positive" in English means: Feeling or showing optimism and confidence., Good or useful., Certain or sure about something., Showing the presence of a particular substance or condition..

The phonetic transcription of "positive" is /ˈpɒz.ə.tɪv/ in British English and /ˈpɑː.zə.t̬ɪv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "positive": optimistic, upbeat, certain, sure, definite, good, favorable, constructive.

Example usage of "positive": "I'm positive about my test results today.". More examples on the page.