early 14c., originally a legal term meaning "formally laid down," from Old French positif (13c.) and directly from Latin positivus "settled by agreement, positive" (opposed to naturalis "natural"), from positus, past participle of ponere "put, place" (see position (n.)).
Sense of "absolute" is from mid-15c. Meaning in philosophy of "dealing only with facts" is from 1590s. Sense broadened to "expressed without qualification" (1590s), then "confident in opinion" (1660s); mathematical use is from 1704; in electricity, 1755. Psychological sense of "concentrating on what is constructive and good" is recorded from 1916.
positive (n.)
1520s, from positive (adj.).
实用例句
1. Remember, keep a positive attitude and good things will happen.
记住:保持乐观的心态,好事自然会发生。
来自美剧《摩登家庭》
2. You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. And if you do, if you stay positive, then you have a shot at a silver lining.
你必须全力以赴,最大限度地去努力。如果你这么做,并且保持乐观,你就会看见乌云背后的幸福线。
来自电影《乌云背后的幸福线》
3. I'm as positive as I can be about it.
我对它有绝对的把握。
来自柯林斯例句
4. A positive pregnancy test soon confirmed her intuitive feelings.
阳性孕检结果很快证实了她的直觉。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The athlete received a two-year suspension following a positive drug test.