Hi Laura. To rave about = positive. To make it negative, we often say “to rant and rave” about. This means to speak loudly and angrily. My friend saw the new movie last night and has been raving about it ever since. (Saying it’s excellent, recommending it) The bus was late today, and my friend can’t stop ranting and raving about the poor service. (Complaining)

The verb "to rave about something/someone" generally carries a positive connotation, meaning to praise enthusiastically. For example, in the sentence "The critics are raving about that new film," it implies that the critics are expressing strong approval and excitement about the film. However, the verb "to rave" can also mean to speak wildly or incoherently, often due to anger or madness, which is where the confusion arises. In most contexts, though, when used with "about," it refers to enthusiastic praise. So yes, the meaning depends on the context, but in the case of praising something, it is usually positive.

"Rave" is positive. Perhaps you are confusing "rave" and "rage". "Rage" is negative".

I agree; "to rave" is generally positive and "to rant and rave" is negative because of the word "rant." It also depends on the context. Your example--"The critics are raving about that new film"--implies that they were raving about it because it was very good. Also just a friendly note--"really" sounds more natural than "pretty" in your first line -> "I'm not really sure whether this verb..." rather than "I'm not pretty sure whether this verb..." :)