Emotions / B1

POZ-uh-tiv/ˈpɒzətɪv/

Positive means hopeful and confident, or sure that something is true. A positive attitude; a positive result; I am positive I locked the door. Optimistic is about the future; sure is the informal twin of the second meaning. Negative is the pair. Positively is the adverb. A positive test can mean the condition is present — check medical context.

Meaning

Hopeful and confident, or sure that something is true.

Examples

• “Keep a positive attitude.”
• “Keep the feedback positive if you can.”
• “She was positive that she had sent the email.”

Good to know

a positive attitude / result. I am positive (that) = sure. Pair: negative. Future outlook: optimistic.

Near in meaning

optimistic

Topics

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