All 3 Uses of
positive
in
Jacob Have I Loved
- By now the crowd upon the dock was positively leaning in his direction.†
Chpt 4positively = with certainty
- He had never been too sociable before he left, but he was positively silent when he returned.†
Chpt 5
- Caroline was positively glowing, my mother quiet and thoughtful, my grandmother grinning and stealing little peeks at my face.†
Chpt 15 *
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.