What does positional mean?
Positional means relating to position or being determined by the place something occupies. The term is especially useful in grammar, where a positional word is identified by its location in a sentence rather than by its grammatical relationship to other elements. It also appears in technical fields such as computing, geography, engineering, and physics to describe coordinates, data, relationships, or arrangements that specify location. For example, positional data may indicate where an object is on a display, while a positional argument obtains its function from its place in a sentence. Although the word can sound technical, its basic meaning is straightforward: it distinguishes features that depend on where something is situated from qualities that do not.
adjectiveRelating to or determined by position. In grammar, a positional word is one whose grammatical function depends on its place in a sentence rather than on its relationship to other words.
- Relating to, determined by, or concerned with position.
- Of or relating to a grammatical element whose function depends on its position in the sentence.
- Describing a value, coordinate, or piece of information that specifies location or arrangement.
"The software displays the positional information of each object on the screen."
"The map records the positional relationship between the two archaeological sites."
"In this construction, the article is a positional word rather than an ordinary noun."
A positional argument does not rely on words such as “give” or “to”; its meaning comes from where it stands in the sentence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does positional come from?
Positional was formed in the early nineteenth century from the English word “position” and the suffix “-al,” meaning “pertaining to” or “connected with.” Position itself comes from Latin positio, a noun derived from positus, the past participle of ponere, “to put” or “to place.” The same Latin root also underlies words such as “positive,” “proposition,” and “composition.”
Related word forms
How positional is actually used
The adjective is common in technical contexts, including grammar, computing, geography, and physics. Its use is formal and specialist compared with the more general word “spatial.”
Easily confused with positional
Position is the noun meaning a place, situation, or standing; positional is the adjective describing something determined by or relating to a position.