different between affirm vs positive
affirm
English
Etymology
From Middle English affirmen, affermen, from Old French afermer, affermer, from Latin affirmare, adfirmare (“to present as fixed, aver, affirm”), from ad (“to”) + firmare (“to make firm”), from firmus (“firm”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /??f?m/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /??f??m/
- Rhymes: -??(?)m
Verb
affirm (third-person singular simple present affirms, present participle affirming, simple past and past participle affirmed)
- To agree, verify or concur; to answer positively.
- She affirmed that she would go when I asked her.
- To assert positively; to tell with confidence; to aver; to maintain as true.
- To support or encourage.
- They did everything they could to affirm the children's self-confidence.
- To make firm; to confirm, or ratify; especially (law) to assert or confirm, as a judgment, decree, or order, brought before an appellate court for review.
Synonyms
- validate
Antonyms
- disaffirm
- deny (of 1,2)
- repudiate (of 2)
- invalidate (of 4)
Related terms
- affirmation
- affirmative
Translations
See also
- affirmative action
- confirm
Further reading
- affirm in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- affirm in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- affirm at OneLook Dictionary Search
affirm From the web:
- what affirmative action
- what affirmations
- what affirmation means
- what affirmations should i use
- what affirmed the legality of racial segregation
- what affirmations should i use for shifting
- what affirmative defenses must be pled
- what affirmative action means
positive
English
Alternative forms
- +ve (abbreviation)
Etymology
From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?p?z??t?v/
- (General American) enPR: p?z??-t?v, IPA(key): /?p?z??t?v/
- Rhymes: -?z?t?v
- Hyphenation (UK): pos?it?ive, (US): pos?i?tive
Adjective
positive (comparative more positive, superlative most positive)
- Not negative or neutral.
- (law) Formally laid down. [from the 14th c.]
- 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie
- In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.
- 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie
- Stated definitively and without qualification. [from the 16th c.]
- Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward’s son.
- Fully assured in opinion. [from the 17th c.]
- (mathematics) Of number, greater than zero. [from the 18th c.]
- Antonym: nonpositive
- Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.
- Overconfident, dogmatic.
- (chiefly philosophy) Actual, real, concrete, not theoretical or speculative.
- 1597 Francis Bacon, The Colours of Good and Evil
- The flower or blossom is a a positive good.
- 1597 Francis Bacon, The Colours of Good and Evil
- (physics) Having more protons than electrons.
- Antonym: negative
- (grammar) Describing the primary sense of an adjective, adverb or noun; not comparative, superlative, augmentative nor diminutive.
- Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations; absolute.
- Characterized by the existence or presence of distinguishing qualities or features, rather than by their absence.
- Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.
- (photography) Of a visual image, true to the original in light, shade and colour values.
- Favorable, desirable by those interested or invested in that which is being judged.
- Wholly what is expressed; colloquially downright, entire, outright.
- Optimistic. [from the 20th c.]
- (chemistry) electropositive
- (chemistry) basic; metallic; not acid; opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.
- (slang) HIV positive.
- quoted in 2013, William I. Johnston, HIV-Negative: How the Uninfected Are Affected by AIDS (page 145)
- We certainly told him at that time that I was negative. We talked about transmission. We told him we don't do anything that would cause me to become positive.
- quoted in 2013, William I. Johnston, HIV-Negative: How the Uninfected Are Affected by AIDS (page 145)
- (New Age jargon) Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable; (often precedes 'energy', 'thought', 'feeling' or 'emotion').
- 2009, Christopher Johns, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner, John Wiley & Sons, p. 15
- Negative feelings can be worked through and their energy converted into positive energy... In crisis, normal patterns of self-organization fail, resulting in anxiety (negative energy). Being open systems, people can exchange this energy with the environment and create positive energy for taking action...
- 2009, Christopher Johns, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner, John Wiley & Sons, p. 15
Synonyms
- (steadfast in one's knowledge or belief): certain, sure, wis
Antonyms
- (doubtful): uncertain, unsure
- (spiritual quality): bad, evil, nongood
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
positive (plural positives)
- A thing capable of being affirmed; something real or actual.
- rating Positives by their Privatives
- A favourable point or characteristic.
- Something having a positive value in physics, such as an electric charge.
- (grammar) A degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.
- (grammar) An adjective or adverb in the positive degree.
- (photography) A positive image; one that displays true colors and shades, as opposed to a negative.
- The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
- A positive result of a test.
Translations
Danish
Adjective
positive
- inflection of positiv:
- definite singular
- plural
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /po.zi.tiv/
- Homophones: positivent, positives
Adjective
positive
- feminine singular of positif
Verb
positive
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of positiver
- second-person singular imperative of positiver
German
Pronunciation
Adjective
positive
- inflection of positiv:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Italian
Adjective
positive
- feminine plural of positivo
Anagrams
- sopitevi
Latin
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /po.si?ti?.u?e/, [p?s???t?i?u??]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /po.si?ti.ve/, [p?s?i?t?i?v?]
Adjective
posit?ve
- vocative masculine singular of posit?vus
Norwegian Bokmål
Adjective
positive
- definite singular of positiv
- plural of positiv
Norwegian Nynorsk
Adjective
positive
- definite singular of positiv
- plural of positiv
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /posi?tibe/, [po.si?t?i.??e]
Verb
positive
- First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of positivar.
- Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of positivar.
Swedish
Adjective
positive
- absolute definite natural masculine form of positiv.
positive From the web:
- what positive words start with k
- what positive words start with e
- what positive words start with x
- what positive number doubles
- what's a positive word that starts with k
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