affirmative
affirmative
adjective
/əˈfɜːmətɪv/
(formal)
​1 an affirmative word or reply means ‘yes’ or expresses agreement
an affirmative response to the question
TOPICS Opinion and argument C1
TOPICS Language C1
Collocations
nouns:
action
answer
reply
2 ​(also positive) (of a statement) expressing something that is true, did happen, etc.; not containing words such as ‘no’, ‘not’, ‘never’, etc.
affirmative and negative forms/sentences
OPPOSITE negative
TOPICS Language C1
affirmative
noun
/əˈfɜːmətɪv/
(formal)
​a word or statement that means ‘yes’; an agreement or a confirmation
in the affirmative
She answered in the affirmative (= said ‘yes’).
She asked if he would give his support to the scheme and he answered in the affirmative.
OPPOSITE negative
TOPICS Opinion and argument C1
affirmative
exclamation
/əˈfɜːmətɪv/
(especially North American English, formal)
​used to agree to a statement or request
‘Affirmative, sir’ responded the lieutenant.
Word Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘assertive, positive’): via Old French from late Latin affirmativus, from affirmare ‘assert’, from ad- ‘to’ + firmus ‘strong’.