Positivist
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A believer in positivism.
"The English mind is prone to positivism and kindred forms of materialistic philosophy, and we must expect the derivative theory to be taken up in that interest. We have no predilection for that school, but the contrary. If we had, we might have looked complacently upon a line of criticism which would indirectly, but effectively, play into the hands of positivists and materialistic atheists generally."
- 2 someone who emphasizes observable facts and excludes metaphysical speculation about origins or ultimate causes wordnet
- 1 Related to positivism, positivistic. not-comparable
"The positivist tradition contains some rigorous, well-argued and stimulating methodological discussions; such material should be required reading for qualitative researchers wishing to enhance the quality of their practice."
- 1 of or relating to positivism wordnet
Example
More examples"The English mind is prone to positivism and kindred forms of materialistic philosophy, and we must expect the derivative theory to be taken up in that interest. We have no predilection for that school, but the contrary. If we had, we might have looked complacently upon a line of criticism which would indirectly, but effectively, play into the hands of positivists and materialistic atheists generally."
Etymology
Perhaps borrowed from French positiviste. Equivalent to positive + -ist, after positivism.
Related phrases
More for "positivist"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.