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:
Buckingham Palace has reiterated its position that he is on a "positive trajectory".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Nunez said Saturday's outcome was more "positive" than a week ago, with more police on the streets acting more rapidly, conducting more pre-demonstration checks and better protecting businesses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Rather than simply expressing happiness or approval, many positive words may convey a sense of security, stability, or predictability.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
If questions about AI consciousness push people to become more reflective about treating entities and other people with dignity, that could be a net positive for society, she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
She didn’t even come to Aunt Melissa’s book club when I’m positive I saw her reading the book.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
While hydrogen breath tests conducted at home are commonly used to diagnose lactose intolerance, Shaukat says they produce a lot of false positives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
"We made lots of lists - lots of positives, lots of negatives," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Full-body scans have also faced criticism from some healthcare professionals, who warn that the technology risks false positives, overdiagnoses, and unnecessary testing and anxiety.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
But studies show AI text detectors are often unreliable, generating false positives that can erode trust between instructors and students and forcing teachers to devise innovative methods to detect cheating and evaluate assignments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
To subject people who test positive to stigmas, especially when most of them may be false positives, is counterproductive and wrong.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Vocabulary lists containing positive
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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