positive

I UK [ˈpɒzətɪv] / US [ˈpɑzətɪv] adjective ***

1) [never before noun] completely certain

positive (that):

Are you positive that there's been no mistake?

positive about/of:

We'd met before – I was positive about that.

We'll make money from this deal – I'm positive of that.

2) believing that good things will happen or that a situation will get better

a positive attitude

Try to think positive thoughts.

positive about:

You have every reason to be positive about the future.

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Collocations:
Nouns frequently used with positive
▪  approach, attitude, outlook, view

3) showing agreement or approval

The experiment is working well and feedback is very positive.

We couldn't be sure if her reaction would be positive.

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Collocations:
Nouns frequently used with positive
▪  feedback, reaction, reinforcement, response

4)

a) a positive experience, situation, result etc is a good one

School was a totally positive experience for me.

The positive aspects of parenthood are rarely written about.

a positive result/outcome:

An initiative to help homeless people is showing positive results.

b) used about someone or something that encourages positive behaviour, attitudes etc

a positive role model

Students learn better in this positive environment.

5) informal used for emphasizing how true, important etc something is

The whole thing was a positive embarrassment.

6) if you do something positive, you do something to try to improve a situation or to help someone rather than doing nothing

You must be prepared to make a positive contribution to the business.

7) showing that a situation is likely to improve

The indications are positive that this year's festival will be a success.

8) a positive result in a medical test means that the person has the disease or condition that was tested for

a positive diagnosis

test positive (for something):

The runner was suspended for two years after he tested positive for drugs.

9) maths a positive number is higher than zero

10) medical used for saying that someone's blood contains a substance called rhesus factor. You can say that someone is Rhesus positive or that their blood group is, for example, O positive or A positive.

11) a positive image such as a photograph shows light and colours in the same way that the original image does

12) physics with the same electrical charge as a proton

II UK [ˈpɒzətɪv] / US [ˈpɑzətɪv] noun [countable]
Word forms "positive":
singular positive plural positives

1) a good aspect of something

Weigh up the negatives and the positives before you make your decision.

2) a medical test result that shows someone has the disease or condition that was tested for. A false positive is a result that shows you have a disease or condition when you really do not have it.

3) maths a number that is higher than zero