positive
Usage
What are other ways to say positive?
The adjective positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism. Certain suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Sure, the simplest and most general term, expresses mere absence of doubt.
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.
See Examples For:
She described her husband as a "true gentleman", who was kind and patient with a positive outlook on life.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Wall Street had provided a positive lead, with all three main indexes rising, though the gains were based entirely on the tech sector, which was the only one of 11 to advance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
On the positive side, we’ve all heard the hype from Silicon Valley that we’re gonna have medical breakthroughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Trump shared a positive rapport with Fauci during the early days of the pandemic in his first term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Everybody, this is Alyx Archer. She’s very cool. Best class is math, worst is —” Rachel glanced at Alyx, though I was positive she had asked earlier and remembered just fine.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
"There were a handful of positives and negatives last week, but the main thing that let us down was that we created so many chances, but mistakes at crucial times cost us," said Erasmus.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“In most statistical exercises, it’s not unthinkable that there might be 0.019% false positives – and if that were the case here, that would turn the total conclusions to zero,” he said.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
This is one of several positives they see in Telstra’s latest update.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
At 98% specificity, meaning the test produced few false positives, it identified about 63% of cancers across all stages.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
People say it's bad, and sometimes it is, but I like to focus on the positives.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
Vocabulary lists containing positive
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
