All 8 Uses of
positive
in
Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis
- He was positive.
Chpt 2positive = certain
- I know positively that Mrs. Clark, after swearing that she wouldn't weaken and encourage them in their outrageous demands, went and paid five-fifty—think of it! practically a dollar a day for unskilled work and, of course, her food and room and a chance to do her own washing right in with the rest of the wash.
Chpt 7positively = with certainty
- "Oh, maybe once or twice, when Will has positively known of a case where Doctor—where one of the others has continued to call on patients longer than necessary, he has laughed about it, but——" He still grinned.†
Chpt 13
- I've failed at every positive thing I've tried.
Chpt 13 *positive = good
- The woman was positively known to have worn handkerchiefs in her bodice as padding—oh, the town had simply roared at her.
Chpt 21 *positively = absolutely (used for emphasis)
- It may have been the fact that Mrs. Swiftwaite's friend remained to Kennicott an ill-told rumor, it may have been Carol's voice, wistful in the pallid evening as she sang to Hugh, it may have been natural and commendable virtue, but certainly he was positive: "Nope."
Chpt 25positive = certain
- It is negation canonized as the one positive virtue.†
Chpt 22
- Her most positive experience was the revelation of Mrs. Flickerbaugh, the tall, thin, twitchy wife of the attorney.†
Chpt 27
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 on 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
indicating the presence of something being tested for -- especially a disease, condition, or substance -
(6)
(positive as in: a positive number) greater than zero (of a number)
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(7)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) 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.