affirmative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Congress made the affirmative decision to broaden its grant of birthright citizenship from the earlier statute.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Mr. Steele supports affirmative action as “a form of reconciliation with our dominant racial, ethnic, and gender order” and is “saddened by the tenor of the present moment.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

“He needed to focus his energy on the civil rights initiative, and affirmative action was a much bigger deal,” said Haru.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

While diversity programs have gone by a variety of names over the decades — nondiscrimination, affirmative action, DEI — they all trace their roots to the Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from 1954 to 1968.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

More often, the context makes it clear which affirmative statement was plausible in the first place, and hence which one the writer is going to the trouble of denying.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker