Epäpositive

Epäpositive is a term built from the Finnish prefix epä- (not, non-) and the adjective positive. In standard Finnish, the canonical form is epäpositiivinen, and in many formal contexts the expression ei-positiivinen or ei-positiivisesti may be used. The form epäpositive itself appears mainly in informal writing, bilingual texts, or as shorthand in technical notes. It is not widely accepted as a fixed dictionary entry in official Finnish language references.

In mathematics and statistics, epäpositiivinen refers to numbers that are not positive. Specifically, non-positive numbers are those that are less than or equal to zero. This usage is common in inequality expressions, data labeling, and computational contexts where it is necessary to distinguish values that do not exceed zero from positive values. The term can be contrasted with negatiivinen, which denotes strictly negative numbers (less than zero).

In everyday language, epäpositiivinen can describe outcomes, attitudes, or results that are not favorable. For example, a test result or forecast may be described as epäpositiivinen when it is not positive in a practical sense. Depending on nuance, more precise Finnish terms such as negatiivinen (negative) or epätoiveikas (hopeless) might be preferred.

Usage notes: For formal Finnish, tendance is to use epäpositiivinen or ei-positiivinen. Epäpositive may be encountered in bilingual or technical contexts but is usually avoided in formal prose. When translating to English, non-positive or not positive are the standard equivalents, with non-positive used for mathematical contexts.