op·ti·mist
ˈäp-tə-mist 
: a person who is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes : someone who is given to optimism
The optimists have faith that no matter how avaricious the age, literature will endure.—
Michael Norman
Michael Norman
Op·ti·mist
ˈäp-tə-mist
: a member of a major international service club
Examples of optimist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebDaniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
New leftist parties, such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain, emerged or drew strength from the wreckage of the 2008 global economic recession but didn’t achieve as much as optimists had hoped.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
An optimist might invoke the idea of democratization, pointing to the medium’s ability to amplify otherwise silent voices, in ways both good and bad.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
An optimist wants to believe that once the country repairs its bridges and gets everyone logged onto super-fast WiFi, makes billionaires pay up in taxes and gets prescription drug prices under control, that Americans will be better.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Jan Hatzius, chief economist and head of the global investment research division at Goldman Sachs, has spent the past few years playing Wall Street’s optimist.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
He’s dealt a slight disadvantage in this regard since his character is written as an over-the-top, wide-eyed optimist with colorful quirks — a Manic Pixie Dream Boy for the introverted Doom.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
That is seven below average for the 17th day of February, a date that optimists may note is less than two weeks from March, with all its connotations of a new, warmer season.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024
The optimists, which include Mr. Bove, hope that the club can find a happy medium — and a way to succeed.
—Claire Fahy, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023
Noun
An optimist would view their perfect start as a sign of things to come, but a pessimist would point out that the season can only go downhill from here.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
New leftist parties, such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain, emerged or drew strength from the wreckage of the 2008 global economic recession but didn’t achieve as much as optimists had hoped.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
An optimist might invoke the idea of democratization, pointing to the medium’s ability to amplify otherwise silent voices, in ways both good and bad.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024
An optimist wants to believe that once the country repairs its bridges and gets everyone logged onto super-fast WiFi, makes billionaires pay up in taxes and gets prescription drug prices under control, that Americans will be better.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Jan Hatzius, chief economist and head of the global investment research division at Goldman Sachs, has spent the past few years playing Wall Street’s optimist.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
He’s dealt a slight disadvantage in this regard since his character is written as an over-the-top, wide-eyed optimist with colorful quirks — a Manic Pixie Dream Boy for the introverted Doom.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
That is seven below average for the 17th day of February, a date that optimists may note is less than two weeks from March, with all its connotations of a new, warmer season.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024
The optimists, which include Mr. Bove, hope that the club can find a happy medium — and a way to succeed.
—Claire Fahy, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'optimist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Optimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/optimist. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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