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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Before the end of July, a deeper pullback is likely as the bearish sentiment is still quite high. Tom Aspray, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 Meanwhile, Bank of America strategists also remain bearish on European equities. Chloe Taylor,ganesh Rao, CNBC, 29 June 2025 Wall Street prognosticators have been bearish on stocks in 2025 because of one overarching theme: uncertainty. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 June 2025 This rebound in sentiment is also reflected in the options market, where—for the first time since April—traders have backed off from bearish dollar positions. Lionel Lim, Fortune, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bearish

Word History

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bearish was in 1607

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Cite this Entry

“Bearish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bearish. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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