different between positive vs significant
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
significant
English
Etymology
From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum (“sign”) + ficare (“do, make”), variant of facere.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /s???n?.f?.k?nt/
- (US, also) IPA(key): /s???n?.f?.??nt/
Adjective
significant (comparative more significant, superlative most significant)
- Signifying something; carrying meaning.
- Synonym: meaningful
- It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient.
- Having a covert or hidden meaning.
- Having a noticeable or major effect.
- Synonym: notable
- Reasonably large in number or amount.
- (statistics) Having a low probability of occurring by chance (for example, having high correlation and thus likely to be related).
Usage notes
- This word may be ambiguous in some situations. In formal writing, care should be taken with comments such as "the difference is significant," because it is not clear without contextual clues whether significant modifies the fact that there is a difference ("notable"), or the difference itself ("large in number or amount"). In some such situations, large and other synonyms may be used in its place.
Synonyms
- important
Antonyms
- insignificant
- ignorable
- negligible
- slight
Related terms
- significance
- significand
- significant other
- signify
Translations
Noun
significant (plural significants)
- That which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol.
- a. 1850, William Wordsworth, The Egyptian Maid
- And in my glass significants there are
- a. 1850, William Wordsworth, The Egyptian Maid
References
significant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Catalan
Verb
significant
- present participle of significar
Latin
Verb
significant
- third-person plural present active indicative of signific?
significant From the web:
- what significant mean
- what significant event happened in 1966
- what significant event happened at the battles of lexington and concord
- what significant event happened in 1848
- what significant changes happened in 1942
- what significant economic challenge did
- what does significant mean
- what does significantly significant mean
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Pin
Like
Send
Share
you may also like
- positive vs significant
- illiterate vs inclement
- compact vs cram
- untaught vs harsh
- ignoble vs paltry
- snap vs quiver
- explain vs assure
- verbalize vs stammer
- imposture vs stratagem
- wandering vs itinerant
- real vs inartificial
- mad vs aroused
- restraining vs costive
- instruct vs jabber
- grumpy vs cruel
- bickering vs jar
- assent vs willingness
- unpleasant vs irascible
- depraved vs snide
- sting vs irritate