bearish

adjective

bear·​ish ˈber-ish How to pronounce bearish (audio)
1
: resembling a bear in build or in roughness, gruffness, or surliness
a bearish man
2
a
: marked by, tending to cause, or fearful of falling prices (as in a stock market)
bearish investors
bearishly adverb
bearishness noun

Examples of bearish in a Sentence

The market has been bearish lately. some studio execs are bearish about this summer's box office
Recent Examples on the Web Piper Sandler and Lazar forecast a bearish 0.5% decline in GDP growth rate in 2024. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 These digital assets undergo bullish periods that can include wild optimism and eye-popping gains, and then suffer bearish periods characterized by panic selling and significant losses. Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Now, the auto executive is doubling-down on his bearish predictions, boldly predicting that just three in ten cars on the road will be powered by a battery. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 24 Jan. 2024 That was the lowest bearish reading since 21.5% on August 2nd. Tom Aspray, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 In this market, the Rule of 40 is bearish, while the Rule of X is bullish. Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2024 Despite spikes over the weekend in some regional and spot prices, analysts note warmer forecasts for later in January contributing to this morning’s bearish mood in futures. WSJ, 16 Jan. 2024 The request for greater voting control suggests that Musk anticipates a substantial clash with shareholders over the direction of the company, Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth MKM, who is also bearish on the company, told ABC News. Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2024 However, this was short-lived as the market entered its bearish phase in 2022, and the price took a hit. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bearish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bearish was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near bearish

Cite this Entry

“Bearish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bearish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!