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affirmative

adjective
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af·​fir·​ma·​tive | \ ə-ˈfər-mə-tiv How to pronounce affirmative (audio) \

Definition of affirmative

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : asserting that the fact is so gave an affirmative answer affirmative proof
2 : positive an affirmative approach
3 : favoring or supporting a proposition or motion an affirmative vote was on the affirmative side in the debate
4 logic : asserting a predicate of a subject

affirmative

noun

Definition of affirmative (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an expression (such as the word yes) of affirmation or assent
2 : the side that upholds the proposition stated in a debate
3 logic : an affirmative (see affirmative entry 1 sense 4) proposition
in the affirmative
: with an affirmative reply : with a reply that means "yes" He answered in the affirmative.
Other Words from affirmative Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about affirmative

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Other Words from affirmative

Adjective

affirmatively adverb
responded affirmatively

Synonyms & Antonyms for affirmative

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Noun

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Examples of affirmative in a Sentence

Adjective She gave an affirmative answer, not a negative answer. Noun we have five affirmatives and two negatives for forming the committee
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Asked if Richard ever mentioned his time at Oakwood, Wammack says replies in the affirmative. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, "Little Richard’s deep, slightly complicated Alabama roots," 20 May 2020 Among some Christians, the likelihood of an increase is higher, with 56% of black Protestants and 42% of white evangelicals reporting in the affirmative. — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "Majority of people say coronavirus has not increased their faith," 30 Apr. 2020 Graham responded in the affirmative but couched that assurance by saying timing is a factor. — Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner, "Fox's Maria Bartiromo presses Graham to make good on pledge to subpoena DOJ and FBI officials," 3 May 2020 Using an affirmative empathetic tone can help get the correction across, without making the person feel like they're being thrown under the bus. — Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, "What you need to know about coronavirus on Thursday, April 2," 2 Apr. 2020 Bernie Sanders, for his part, never hesitated to answer in the affirmative. — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, "The Profound Simplicity of Bernie Sanders’s Vision," 9 Apr. 2020 Among individual Christian sects, white evangelicals are the most likely to have watched services online, with 53% answering in the affirmative. — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "Online church services fail to draw worshippers," 8 Apr. 2020 The answer to the first question tended to be affirmative. — Karim Sadjadpour, Time, "Why the U.S. Assassination of Soleimani is a Windfall for Iran's Mullahs," 9 Jan. 2020 If the answer is affirmative, the next step is to work out the details. — Bob Weinstein, Houston Chronicle, "Employers consider passion an essential career-building asset," 7 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Use liberally the affirmatives Yes, ma’am and Yes, sir, having grown up under threat of a stiff switch. — Melissa Lyttle, Smithsonian, "The First Family of Rodeo," 13 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affirmative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of affirmative

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for affirmative

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French affirmatif, borrowed from Late Latin affirmātīvus, from Latin affirmātus (past participle of affirmāre "to affirm") + -īvus -ive

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French affirmatif, noun derivative of affirmatif affirmative entry 1

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Time Traveler for affirmative

Time Traveler

The first known use of affirmative was in the 15th century

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Statistics for affirmative

Last Updated

27 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Affirmative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affirmative. Accessed 5 Jun. 2020.

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More Definitions for affirmative

affirmative

adjective
How to pronounce affirmative (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of affirmative

formal : saying or showing that the answer is "yes" rather than "no"

See the full definition for affirmative in the English Language Learners Dictionary

affirmative

adjective
af·​fir·​ma·​tive | \ ə-ˈfər-mə-tiv How to pronounce affirmative (audio) \

Kids Definition of affirmative

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : saying or showing that the answer is "yes" He gave an affirmative answer.
2 : being positive or helpful Take an affirmative approach to the problem.

affirmative

noun

Kids Definition of affirmative (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an expression (as the word yes) of agreement
2 : the side that supports or votes for something

affirmative

adjective
af·​fir·​ma·​tive | \ ə-ˈfər-mə-tiv How to pronounce affirmative (audio) \

Legal Definition of affirmative

1 : asserting the existence of certain facts especially in support of a cause of action affirmative proof
2 : resulting from an intentional act affirmative concealment
3 : involving or requiring application of effort an affirmative duty
4 : favoring or supporting a proposition or motion an affirmative vote

Other Words from affirmative

affirmatively adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on affirmative

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for affirmative

Spanish Central: Translation of affirmative

Nglish: Translation of affirmative for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of affirmative for Arabic Speakers

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