affirmative

[uh-fur-muh-tiv] /əˈfɜr mə tɪv/
adjective
1.
affirming or assenting; 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.”.
noun
5.
something that affirms or asserts; a positive statement or proposition; 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 affirms or defends a statement that the opposite side denies or attacks:
to speak for the affirmative.
interjection
9.
(used to indicate agreement, assent, etc.): “Is this the right way to Lake George?” “Affirmative.”.
Origin
1400-50; < Latin affirmātīvus, equivalent to affirmāt- (see affirmation) + -īvus -ive; replacing late Middle English affirmatyff < Middle French < Latin
Related forms
affirmatively, adverb
overaffirmative, adjective
overaffirmatively, adverb
preaffirmative, adjective
quasi-affirmative, adjective
quasi-affirmatively, adverb
Examples from the web for affirmative
  • Federal Government have taken affirmative steps to insure equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.
  • The affirmative has it and the motion is adopted.
  • That question is answered here with an emphatic affirmative.
  • Greensboro College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.
  • Others in compliance with the state law may use affirmative defense.
  • There are reasons for answering this question in the affirmative.
  • If your answer is in the affirmative then you should understand why your volume argument is just silly.
  • He analyzes these questions and outlines a variety of potential projects attendant on affirmative answers.
  • But France's creed of equality means that the society practices almost no affirmative action for minorities.
  • Geller asserts, people will be better able to cope with stress and also have more affirmative dealings with other people.
British Dictionary definitions for affirmative

affirmative

/əˈfɜːmətɪv/
adjective
1.
confirming or asserting something as true or valid: an affirmative statement
2.
indicating agreement or assent: an affirmative answer
3.
(logic)
  1. (of a categorial proposition) affirming the satisfaction by the subject of the predicate, as in all birds have feathers; some men are married
  2. not containing negation Compare negative (sense 12)
noun
4.
a positive assertion
5.
a word or phrase stating agreement or assent, such as yes (esp in the phrase answer in the affirmative)
6.
(logic) an affirmative proposition
7.
(mainly US & Canadian) the affirmative, the side in a debate that supports the proposition
sentence substitute
8.
(military) a signal codeword used to express assent or confirmation
Derived Forms
affirmatively, adverb
Word Origin and History for affirmative
adj.

"answering 'yes,'" mid-15c., from use in logic; from Middle French affirmatif (13c.), from Latin affirmativus, from affirmat-, past participle stem of affirmare (see affirm). As a noun from early 15c. Affirmative action "positive or corrective effort by employers to prevent discrimination in hiring or promotion" is attested from 1935 with regard to labor unions; specific racial sense is from 1961; now often used more generally in reference to hiring quotas, etc.