All 10 Uses of
positive
in
Washington Square
- He criticised them very freely, in a positive, off-hand way.†
Chpt 4 (definition 1)
- Of course she would have liked to take it as a joke—as her father must have meant it; and yet she would have liked, also, in denying it, to be a little positive, a little sharp; so that he would perhaps not ask the question again.†
Chpt 6 (definition 1)
- I wish you to marry a young man with other antecedents—a young man who could give positive guarantees.†
Chpt 11 (definition 1)
- The assurance was vague, for it contained no element of positive conviction that her father would change his mind.†
Chpt 15 (definition 1)
- Her aunt seemed to her aggressive and foolish, and to see it so clearly—to judge Mrs. Penniman so positively—made her feel old and grave.†
Chpt 18 (definition 1) *
- "He was very positive about this, was he?" he asked at last.†
Chpt 20 (definition 1)
- I wait with suspense—with positive excitement; and that is a sort of emotion that I didn't suppose Catherine would ever provide for me.†
Chpt 21 (definition 1)
- "Three days before will do," he went on, "if you are in a position to be positive then.†
Chpt 24 (definition 1)
- Her aunt had never seen her with just this manner, and Mrs. Penniman, observing her, set it down to foreign travel, which had made her more positive, more mature.†
Chpt 25 (definition 1)
Uses with a very rare meaning:
- CHAPTER XIII It may be thought the Doctor was too positive, and Mrs. Almond intimated as much.†
Chpt 13 (definition 2) *
Definitions:
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(1) (positive as in: I'm absolutely positive!) certain (having no doubt; or used for emphasis)
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(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus) See a comprehensive dictionary for less common meanings of positive including some in the fields of electricity, physics, chemistry, medicine, philosophy, and grammar. Note that most all senses of positive indicate that something is good or present.