optimist

noun (1)

op·ti·mist | \ ˈäp-tə-mist

Definition of optimist

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

Optimist

noun (2)

Op·ti·mist | \ ˈäp-tə-mist

Definition of Optimist (Entry 2 of 2)

: a member of a major international service club

Examples of optimist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The optimist would point out that Kyrie Irving only played 303 minutes of his freshman year of college and blossomed into a star. — Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, "2018 N.B.A. Draft Results: Analysis of Every Pick in Round 1," 21 June 2018 What emerges instead is a portrait of an optimist with curiosity and affection for humanity in all its forms, as well as a ravenous appetite for the literary efforts of others. — Tom Zoellner, New York Times, "Paul Theroux’s New Book Ranges From Literature to Landscapes, With Surprising Cheer," 1 June 2018 Photo: iStock/Getty Images Twenty eighteen will go down as the year when even optimists abandoned hope that China’s economic development and growing middle class would create pressure for political liberalization. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "Democracy Could Bounce Back in 2019," 31 Dec. 2018 Best for: Your yoga buddies, your stressed-out best friend, optimists. — Nora Krug, chicagotribune.com, "Looking for the perfect book? Here are nine subscription boxes that can help," 30 May 2018 At the start of 2018 the optimists had the better case. — The Economist, "Even stockmarket bulls are more cautious than at the start of the year," 12 July 2018 Yet Drescher, an eternal optimist, claims this dark period only made her stronger, and a symbol of hope for other women. — Samantha Leach, Glamour, "Fran Drescher Was Always Ahead of Her Time," 30 Aug. 2018 The level of competition on defense, which head coach Pete Carroll, the eternal optimist, has trumpeted. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "NFC West Offseason Report Cards: Cardinals Blitzing, Rams Spend on Defense, Garoppolo Ready to Execute, Seahawks Rebuilding," 28 June 2018 But that bill’s future isn’t as certain as some optimists think. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Republicans in Congress Search for an Immigration Bill to End Border Crisis," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'optimist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.