The difference between Certain and Positive

When used as nouns, certain means something certain, whereas positive means a thing capable of being affirmed.

When used as adjectives, certain means sure, positive, not doubting, whereas positive means not negative or neutral.


Certain is also determiner with the meaning: having been determined but not specified.

Certain is also pronoun with the meaning: unnamed or undescribed members (of).

check bellow for the other definitions of Certain and Positive

  1. Certain as an adjective:

    Sure, positive, not doubting.

    Examples:

    "I was certain of my decision."

  2. Certain as an adjective (obsolete):

    Determined; resolved.

  3. Certain as an adjective:

    Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.

  4. Certain as an adjective:

    Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable.

    Examples:

    "Bankruptcy is the certain outcome of your constant gambling and lending."

  5. Certain as an adjective:

    Unfailing; infallible.

  6. Certain as an adjective:

    Fixed or stated; regular; determinate.

  7. Certain as an adjective:

    Not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; sometimes used independently as a noun, and meaning certain persons; see also "one".

  1. Certain as a pronoun (with ''of''):

    Unnamed or undescribed members (of).

    Examples:

    "There where serious objections to certain of the proposals."

  1. Certain as a noun (with "the"):

    Something certain.

  1. Positive as an adjective:

    Not negative or neutral.

  2. Positive as an adjective (legal):

    Formally laid down.

  3. Positive as an adjective:

    Stated definitively and without qualification.

  4. Positive as an adjective:

    Fully assured in opinion.

  5. Positive as an adjective (mathematics):

    Of number, greater than zero.

  6. Positive as an adjective:

    Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.

  7. Positive as an adjective:

    Overconfident, dogmatic.

  8. Positive as an adjective (chiefly, philosophy):

    Actual, real, concrete, not theoretical or speculative.

  9. Positive as an adjective (physics):

    Having more protons than electrons.

  10. Positive as an adjective (grammar):

    Describing the primary sense of an adjective, adverb or noun; not comparative, superlative, augmentative nor diminutive.

  11. Positive as an adjective:

    Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations; absolute.

  12. Positive as an adjective:

    Characterized by the existence or presence of distinguishing qualities or features, rather than by their absence.

  13. Positive as an adjective:

    Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.

  14. Positive as an adjective (photography):

    Of a visual image, true to the original in light, shade and colour values.

  15. Positive as an adjective:

    Favorable, desirable by those interested or invested in that which is being judged.

  16. Positive as an adjective:

    Wholly what is expressed; colloquially downright, entire, outright.

  17. Positive as an adjective:

    Optimistic.

  18. Positive as an adjective (chemistry):

    electropositive

  19. Positive as an adjective (chemistry):

    basic; metallic; not acid; opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.

  20. Positive as an adjective (slang):

    HIV positive.

  21. Positive as an adjective ([[New Age]] [[jargon]]):

    Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable; (often precedes 'energy', 'thought', 'feeling' or 'emotion').

  1. Positive as a noun:

    A thing capable of being affirmed; something real or actual.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek South"

  2. Positive as a noun:

    A favourable point or characteristic.

  3. Positive as a noun:

    Something having a positive value in physics, such as an electric charge.

  4. Positive as a noun (grammar):

    A degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs.

  5. Positive as a noun (grammar):

    An adjective or adverb in the positive degree.

  6. Positive as a noun (photography):

    A positive image; one that displays true colors and shades, as opposed to a negative.

  7. Positive as a noun:

    The positive plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.

  8. Positive as a noun:

    A positive result of a test.