Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Asserting that something is true or correct, as with the answer “yes”.
  • adjective Giving assent or approval; confirming.
  • adjective Positive; optimistic.
  • adjective Logic Of, relating to, or being a proposition in which the predicate affirms something about the subject, such as the statement apples have seeds.
  • noun A word or statement of agreement or assent, such as the word yes.
  • noun The side in a debate that upholds the proposition.
  • adverb Informal Used in place of the response “yes” to express confirmation or consent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Characterized by affirmation or assertion; assertive; positive in form; not negative: as, an affirmative proposition; affirmative principles.
  • Hence Positive in manner; confident; dogmatic.
  • Giving affirmation or assent; confirmatory; ratifying; concurring; agreeing: as, an affirmative decree or judgment by an appellate court; an affirmative answer to a request.
  • noun That which affirms or asserts; a positive proposition or averment: as, two negatives make an affirmative.
  • noun That which gives affirmation or assent; the agreeing or concurring part or side: with the definite article: as, to support the affirmative; to vote in the affirmative (that is, in favor of the affirmative side), as in a legislative body.
  • noun In judicial proceedings, the side which, whether in itself an affirmation or a negation, requires first to be supported by proof, presumption in the absence of proof being against it; the side which has the burden of proof.
  • noun Nautical, the signal-flag or pendant by which assent is expressed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Confirmative; ratifying.
  • adjective That affirms; asserting that the fact is so; declaratory of what exists; answering “yes” to a question; -- opposed to negative
  • adjective obsolete Positive; dogmatic.
  • adjective (logic) Expressing the agreement of the two terms of a proposition.
  • adjective (Alg.) Positive; -- a term applied to quantities which are to be added, and opposed to negative, or such as are to be subtracted.
  • noun That which affirms as opposed to that which denies; an affirmative proposition; that side of question which affirms or maintains the proposition stated; -- opposed to negative.
  • noun A word or phrase expressing affirmation or assent

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective pertaining to truth; asserting that something is
  • adjective pertaining to any assertion or active confirmation that favors a particular result
  • adjective positive
  • noun Yes; an answer that shows agreement or acceptance.
  • noun grammatical terminology An answer that shows agreement or acceptance.
  • noun obsolete An assertion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a reply of affirmation
  • adjective expressing or manifesting praise or approval
  • adjective affirming or giving assent
  • adjective expecting the best

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French affirmatif, from Latin affirmativus, from affirmare ("to assert").

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