Consisting in or characterized by the presence or possession of features or qualities rather than their absence.<span><span>(of a statement or decision) expressing or implying affirmation, agreement, or permission: "the company received a positive response from investors"synonyms: affirmative · favorable · good · approving · enthusiastic · [more]supportive · encouragingantonyms: negative</span><span>(of the results of a test or experiment) indicating that a certain substance or condition is present or exists: <span>"the positive results of a pregnancy test" · [more]"a positive test for Down's syndrome"</span></span><span>(of a person) having a specified condition, or showing traces of a specified substance in their body: <span>"a player had tested positive for cocaine use" · [more]"he is HIV-positive"</span></span><span>constructive in intention or attitude: "there needs to be a positive approach to youthful offenders"synonyms: constructive · practical · useful · productive · helpful · worthwhile · [more]beneficial · effective · optimistic · hopeful · confident · cheerful · sanguine · buoyant · upbeatantonyms: pessimistic</span><span>showing optimism and confidence: "I hope you will be feeling very positive about your chances of success"</span><span>showing pleasing progress, gain, or improvement: "the election result will have a positive effect because it will restore people's confidence"synonyms: favorable · good · promising · encouraging · heartening · [more]propitious · auspiciousantonyms: negative · unfavorable</span></span>with no possibility of doubt; clear and definite: "he made a positive identification of a glossy ibis"synonyms: definite · conclusive · certain · categorical · unequivocal
