affirmative

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Related to affirmative: Affirmative Covenants

af·fir·ma·tive

(ə-fûr′mə-tĭv)

adj.

1. Asserting that something is true or correct, as with the answer "yes": an affirmative reply.

2. Giving assent or approval; confirming: an affirmative vote.

3. Positive; optimistic: an affirmative outlook.

4. Logic Of, relating to, or being a proposition in which the predicate affirms something about the subject, such as the statement apples have seeds.

1. A word or statement of agreement or assent, such as the word yes.

2. The side in a debate that upholds the proposition: Her team will speak for the affirmative.

adv.

Informal Used in place of the response "yes" to express confirmation or consent.

af·fir′ma·tive·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

affirmative

(əˈfɜːmətɪv)

adj

1. confirming or asserting something as true or valid: an affirmative statement.

2. indicating agreement or assent: an affirmative answer.

3. (Logic) logic

a. (of a categorial proposition) affirming the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in all birds have feathers; some men are married

b. not containing negation. Compare negative¹²

4. a positive assertion

5. (Linguistics) a word or phrase stating agreement or assent, such as yes (esp in the phrase answer in the affirmative)

6. (Logic) logic an affirmative proposition

7. the affirmative chiefly US and Canadian the side in a debate that supports the proposition

sentence substitute

(Military) military a signal codeword used to express assent or confirmation

afˈfirmatively adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

af•firm•a•tive

(əˈfɜr mə tɪv)

adj.

1. affirming or asserting the truth, validity, or fact of something.

2. expressing agreement or consent; assenting: an affirmative reply.

3. positive; not negative.

4. Logic. noting a proposition in which a property of a subject is affirmed, as “All men are happy.”

5. something that affirms or asserts; affirmation.

6. a reply indicating assent, as Yes or I do.

7. a manner or mode that indicates assent: a reply in the affirmative.

8. the side, as in a debate, that defends a statement which the opposite side attacks.

interj.

9. (used to indicate agreement, assent, etc.): “Is this the road to Lake George?” “Affirmative.”

[1400–50; < Latin]

af•firm′a•tive•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	affirmative - a reply of affirmation; "he answered in the affirmative" affirmation, avouchment, avowal - a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something yes - an affirmative; "I was hoping for a yes" yea - an affirmative; "The yeas have it" double negative - an affirmative constructed from two negatives; "A not unwelcome outcome" negative - a reply of denial; "he answered in the negative"
Adj.	1.	affirmative - affirming or giving assent; "an affirmative decision"; "affirmative votes" affirmatory favorable, favourable - encouraging or approving or pleasing; "a favorable reply"; "he received a favorable rating"; "listened with a favorable ear"; "made a favorable impression" positive - characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.; "a positive attitude"; "the reviews were all positive"; "a positive benefit"; "a positive demand" negative - expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
	2.	affirmative - expecting the best; "an affirmative outlook" optimistic positive - characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.; "a positive attitude"; "the reviews were all positive"; "a positive benefit"; "a positive demand"
	3.	affirmative - expressing or manifesting praise or approval; "approbative criticism"; "an affirmative nod" approbative, approbatory, approving, plausive favorable, favourable - encouraging or approving or pleasing; "a favorable reply"; "he received a favorable rating"; "listened with a favorable ear"; "made a favorable impression"

affirmative

adjective agreeing, confirming, positive, approving, consenting, favourable, concurring, assenting, corroborative He was eager for an affirmative answer.
denying, negative, disagreeing, dissenting, disapproving, negating

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

affirmative

adjective

1. Giving assent:

favorable, positive.

2. Of a constructive nature:

positive.

Informal: upbeat.

Translations

إيجَابِي

kladnýsouhlassouhlasnýzvýhodňování

bekræftendekønsdiskriminering

affirmativ bejahend

afirmativo

affirmatif définitif positif

jákvæîur; játandi

affermativo affermativa

bekreftende

hakça davranışkayırmaolumlu

肯定的

affirmative

[əˈfɜːmətɪv]

A. ADJ → afirmativo

B. N to answer in the affirmative → dar una respuesta afirmativa, contestar afirmativamente

C. CPD affirmative action N (US) (Pol) → medidas fpl a favor de las minorías

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Affirmative action es el término estadounidense que hace referencia al tratamiento privilegiado que reciben las minorías étnicas y las mujeres en lo que concierne al empleo o la educación. La administración del presidente Kennedy puso en marcha esta política en los años sesenta, estableciendo cuotas para asegurar más puestos de trabajo y plazas universitarias a aquellos colectivos con baja representación, lo cual se garantizó gracias a la Ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Laborales (Equal Employment Opportunities Act), de 1972. Esta discriminación positiva fue para muchos la causa de que fueran a su vez discriminados los colectivos no minoritarios, por ejemplo, los hombres de raza blanca, por lo que la aplicación estricta de los cupos se ha relajado un tanto desde entonces.

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

affirmative

[əˈfɜː^rmətɪv]

adj [answer] → affirmatif/ive

n
in the affirmative → par l'affirmative
to answer in the affirmative → répondre par l'affirmative, répondre affirmativementaffirmative action (US) n (= positive discrimination) → discrimination f positive

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

affirmative

n (Gram) → Bejahung f; (sentence) → bejahender or positiver Satz; to answer in the affirmative → bejahend or mit Ja antworten; put these sentences into the affirmative → drücken Sie diese Sätze bejahend aus

adj → bejahend, positiv; (Gram) → affirmativ (form), → bejahend; the answer is affirmative → die Antwort ist bejahend or ja

interj → richtig

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

affirmative

[əˈfɜːmətɪv]

1. adj → affermativo/a

2. n to answer in the affirmative → rispondere affermativamente or di sì

affirm

(əˈfəːm) verb

to state something positively and firmly. Despite all the policeman's questions the lady continued to affirm that she was innocent.

ˌaffirˈmation (ӕ-) noun

afˈfirmative (-tiv) adjective, noun

saying or indicating yes to a question, suggestion etc. He gave an affirmative nod; a reply in the affirmative.

affirmative ˌaction noun

(American) the practice of giving better opportunities (jobs, education etc) to people who, it is thought, are treated unfairly (minorities, women etc).

References in classic literature ?

By 'affirmation' we mean an affirmative proposition, by 'denial' a negative.

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"Simply, loveliest and most benign of your sex, that once already, in answer to a demand of your hand, you deigned to reply with that energetic and encouraging monosyllable, yes--dear and categorical affirmative--" exclaimed Tom, going off again at half-cock, highly impressed with the notion that rhapsody, instead of music, was the food of love--"Yes, dear and categorical affirmative, with what ecstasy did not my drowsy ears drink in the melodious sounds--what extravagance of delight my throbbing heart echo its notes, on the wings of the unseen winds--in short, what considerable satisfaction your consent gave my pulsating mind!"

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And by those negations, considered along with the affirmative fact of his prodigious bulk and power, you can best form to yourself the truest, though not the most exhilarating conception of what the most exalted potency is.

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"C'est moi, n'est-ce pas?" And receiving an answer in the affirmative, Stepan Arkadyevitch, forgetting the favor he had meant to ask of Lidia Ivanovna, and forgetting his sister's affairs, caring for nothing, but filled with the sole desire to get away as soon as possible, went out on tiptoe and ran out into the street as though from a plague-stricken house.

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In a hurried manner, he replied in the affirmative.

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And the third, simulation, in the affirmative; when a man industriously and expressly feigns and pretends to be, that he is not.

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She made an affirmative sign of the head, and said, "Yes."

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The landlady answered in the affirmative, saying, "There were a great many very good quality and gentlefolks in it now.

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Oh, that some encouraging voice would answer in the affirmative! My courage and my resolution is firm; but my hopes fluctuate, and my spirits are often depressed.

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They will see, therefore, that in all cases where power is to be conferred, the point first to be decided is, whether such a power be necessary to the public good; as the next will be, in case of an affirmative decision, to guard as effectually as possible against a perversion of the power to the public detriment.

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As he replied in the affirmative, with perfect confidence and cheerfulness, we did not resume the subject until the day was wearing away.

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Whether there ought to be a federal government intrusted with the care of the common defense, is a question in the first instance, open for discussion; but the moment it is decided in the affirmative, it will follow, that that government ought to be clothed with all the powers requisite to complete execution of its trust.