Both Uses of
positive
in
Fahrenheit 451
- At the last moment, when disaster seemed positive, he pulled his hands from his pockets and broke his fall by grasping the golden pole.
p. 2.5 *positive = certain
- The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I'd burned in ten or twelve years.
p. 78.7positively = with certainty
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)
(positive as in: had a positive effect) good or beneficial
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(3)
(positive as in: positive feedback from my boss) approval or agreement
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(4)
(positive as in: a positive attitude) optimistic (expecting or focusing good things); or agreeable
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(5)
(positive as in: The test came back positive.) found a condition or substance to be present
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(6)
(positive as in: a positive number) greater than zero (of a number)
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(7)
(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.