affirmative
gb/əfˈɚmɪtɪv/ us/əfˈɚmɪtɪv/
B1
Englisch
~ 9500
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
adjective
B2
property
1
expressing agreement or a yes answer
Showing that you agree or that your answer is yes.
Verwendungsmuster:
an affirmative [answer/reply/response]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes use *affirmative* to mean 'happy' or 'hopeful', confusing it with 'positive' in the emotional sense. *Affirmative* is mainly used about answers, responses, and decisions, not about a person’s mood.
Synonyme
positive (Commonly used in the phrase 'positive answer/response' with a similar formal tone.)
|
agreeing (Focuses more on the person’s attitude than on the specific answer.)
|
yes (A direct one-word reply, less formal and usually not used before a noun.)
Antonyme
negative (Standard opposite for answers, as in a 'negative reply'.)
|
noncommittal (Opposite in the sense of not clearly saying yes or no.)
Wortverbindungen
affirmative answer
|affirmative response
|affirmative reply
|give an affirmative
|clear affirmative
|resoundingly affirmative
Themen
communication
|meetings
|core_vocabulary
Beispiele
- The committee gave an affirmative answer to our proposal.
- Her reply was brief but clearly affirmative.
- We need an affirmative response from all team members before we move forward.
- The survey results were overwhelmingly affirmative about the new policy.
Beispiele für Lernende
- His answer was affirmative, not negative.
- She gave an affirmative response to the job offer.
- We are waiting for an affirmative reply from the school.
Nomen
formal
C1
entity
2
a yes answer or agreement
A word or action that means 'yes'.
Verwendungsmuster:
answer [in] the affirmative
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may say *“in the yes”* instead of the fixed phrase *“in the affirmative”*. In formal speaking and writing, use *“answer in the affirmative”* to mean *“answer yes”*.
Synonyme
yes (Less formal and usually used directly as a reply, not inside set phrases like 'in the affirmative'.)
|
assent (More formal and often used for official or written agreement.)
Antonyme
negative (Used in the parallel phrase 'in the negative' for a no answer.)
|
refusal (Highlights active rejection, not just a simple 'no'.)
Wortverbindungen
in the affirmative
|a clear affirmative
|receive an affirmative
|give an affirmative
|nod an affirmative
Themen
communication
|formal
|core_vocabulary
Beispiele
- When asked if he accepted the terms, he replied in the affirmative.
- A simple affirmative would have been enough to close the deal.
- The chair looked around the room, received several affirmatives, and moved on to the next item.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The students answered in the affirmative.
- He gave a firm affirmative to the question.
- One nod from her was a clear affirmative.
adjective
formal
B2
property
3
supporting or promoting something
Showing strong support for something, often to help a group or change a situation.
Verwendungsmuster:
affirmative [action/steps/policies/measures]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may confuse this sense with the basic 'yes' meaning and try to use it after a verb, e.g. *“I affirmative your idea”*. In this sense, *affirmative* is used before nouns like *steps, policies, action*, not as a verb.
Synonyme
supportive (Focuses on emotional or practical support, not always on policy or rights.)
|
proactive (Stresses taking action in advance; overlaps when describing planned positive change.)
|
favorable (Emphasizes approval, but not always active, structured support.)
Antonyme
oppositional (Describes policies or attitudes that resist or fight against something.)
|
obstructive (Highlights blocking or slowing progress instead of promoting it.)
Wortverbindungen
affirmative action
|affirmative policies
|affirmative steps
|affirmative measures
|affirmative agenda
|affirmative program
Themen
politics
|society
|relationships
Beispiele
- The company introduced affirmative policies to increase diversity in senior roles.
- These affirmative steps are meant to support students from underrepresented backgrounds.
- The report calls for more affirmative measures to protect tenants’ rights.
- Her work focuses on designing affirmative programs for marginalized communities.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The government took affirmative steps to help poor families.
- We need more affirmative policies to support disabled workers.
- The school is planning affirmative programs for first-generation students.
adjective
technical
B1
property
4
positive, not negative, statement
In grammar and logic, describing a sentence or statement that says something is true, not that it is not true.
Verwendungsmuster:
an affirmative [sentence/statement/proposition]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes think *affirmative sentence* means a sentence with a 'good' or 'positive' meaning. In grammar, *affirmative* only means that the sentence is not negative (it does not use 'not' or another negative word).
Synonyme
positive (Used in the same technical contrast with 'negative', but also widely used in everyday, non-technical contexts.)
Antonyme
negative (The standard technical opposite in grammar and logic, as in 'negative sentence'.)
Wortverbindungen
affirmative sentence
|affirmative statement
|affirmative clause
|affirmative form
|affirmative proposition
Themen
language
|logic
|education
|communication
Beispiele
- In this exercise, change each question into an affirmative sentence.
- The teacher asked the class to give both affirmative and negative forms of the verb.
- In logic, an affirmative proposition asserts that a relationship exists between two terms.
Beispiele für Lernende
- ‘She likes coffee’ is an affirmative sentence.
- Please write three negative sentences and three affirmative sentences.
- The affirmative form does not use 'not'.
Nomen
formal
C1
entity
5
supporting side in a debate
In a debate or vote, the side that says the proposal is good and should be accepted.
Verwendungsmuster:
the affirmative [argues/wins/votes]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may think *affirmative* here means just 'yes'. In debate contexts, *the affirmative* is a label for the whole side or team that supports the motion, not a single answer.
Synonyme
pro side (Informal debate term that clearly opposes the 'con side'.)
|
supporting side (Everyday phrasing that explains the role without debate jargon.)
Antonyme
the negative (Traditional debate term for the side arguing against the proposal.)
|
opposition (Broader term for those who are against an idea or proposal.)
Wortverbindungen
the affirmative
|speak for the affirmative
|argue for the affirmative
|vote for the affirmative
|the affirmative side
Themen
education
|politics
|communication
Beispiele
- In this round, the affirmative must prove that the policy will be effective.
- The judges decided that the affirmative presented a stronger case.
- She volunteered to speak for the affirmative in the school debate.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The affirmative supports the motion.
- Our team is on the affirmative in this debate.
- The affirmative won because their arguments were clear.
Grammatik
Grundform
affirmative
IPA
GB/əfˈɚmɪtɪv/
US/əfˈɚmɪtɪv/
Silben & Betonung
af - firm - at - ive (4 Silben)
Stress on 2nd syllable (firm)
Wortformen
Adjective
- Base: affirmative
Noun
- Base: affirmative
- Plural: affirmatives
Wortfamilie
Forms
affirmatives
noun
Core family
Negative and opposite forms
negative
adjective B1
negatively
adverb B1
Advanced or less common
reaffirm
verb B2
reaffirmation
noun
Ausdrücke
affirmative action
1/əfˈɚmɪtɪv ˈækʃən/
fixed phrase
policies favoring disadvantaged groups
Government or company policies that give extra help or preference to groups who have been treated unfairly in the past, especially in jobs and education.
Beispiele
- The university has an affirmative action program to increase diversity among its students.
- Debates about affirmative action often focus on fairness and equal opportunity.
affirmative consent
1/əfˈɚmɪtɪv kənsˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
clear, active agreement as consent
Clear and active agreement, often spoken, that shows a person really wants to do something, especially in sexual situations.
Beispiele
- Their policy requires affirmative consent for all sexual activity.
- Workshops on campus now focus on teaching students what affirmative consent means.
affirmative defense
1/əfˈɚmɪtɪv dɪfˈɛns/
fixed phrase
technical
legal defense that avoids liability
In law, a kind of defense where the person says the basic facts are true but gives a special reason why they should not be found guilty or responsible.
Beispiele
- The lawyer raised an affirmative defense, claiming self-defense.
- Insanity is sometimes used as an affirmative defense in criminal cases.
in the affirmative
1/ˈɪn ðə əfˈɚmɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
formal
with a yes answer
As a formal way to say that someone answered 'yes'.
Beispiele
- When asked whether he accepted the offer, he replied in the affirmative.
- Most participants answered in the affirmative when asked if they trusted the system.