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Glite Dictionary
to be positive

to be positive

34 3.2
To have a hopeful, confident attitude in hard times
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : mantenerse optimista
  • Be positive.
  • be positive about experiences
  • participants were positive

So again, last but not least, she needs to be positive and loving.

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Examples

  • You have, in other words, reasons to be positive about the year ahead.

    Academic text (2017)

  • So again, last but not least, she needs to be positive and loving.

    Stephan Speaks

  • Just teaching you to be positive and be nice.

  • But for that, you have to be positive.

    House of Gucci (2021)

  • You have to be positive.

    Long Shot (2019)

  • But being positive is a choice. Being happy is a choice. And I choose happiness. I choose to be positive. And so

    Molly Burke

  • You can do this, Jesse, just be positive.

    Tsunambee (2017)

  • Most importantly, parents need to be positive role models in the home.

    Academic text (1992)

  • I'm gonna be positive.

    The Hot Rock (1972)

  • It's important to be positive even when facing challenges in life.

Synonyms

to look on the bright side
vsto be positive
  • Informal
30 3.7

Try to find something positive in a bad situation

is a steady hopeful stance rather than a momentary attempt
to keep one's chin up
vsto be positive
  • Informal
8 6.5

To stay cheerful and hopeful when things go wrong

is a general hopeful attitude maintained even in hard times
to see the glass half-full
vsto be positive
  • Informal
1 4.1

To focus on the good parts of a situation instead of the bad

is broader and expresses a maintained hopeful attitude beyond spotting positives
to keep someone's pecker up
vsto be positive
  • Archaic
9.9

Stay cheerful and hopeful during hard times

is similar but more neutral and not specifically directed at someone

Antonyms

hopeless
48 2.5

Feeling no hope about a situation or the future

How Positive

sanguine
10 7.4
upbeat
99 3.8
optimistic
426 3.2
to be positive
34 3.2
hopeful
189 1.8

Surface Forms

be positive infinitive
was positive past
been positive past participle
being positive present participle
is positive third person singular

Morphology

be + positive

The sense 'to have or maintain an optimistic attitude' is directly derivable from the copula 'be' (to exist or be in a state) plus the adjective 'positive' (optimistic/confident). This follows the common and productive English pattern be + ADJ, which is cross-linguistically familiar and therefore immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Be positive comes from the simple image of choosing the positive or 'plus' side of things, like adding light or energy instead of taking it away. So, be positive means 'to have a hopeful attitude and expect good things'.