pessimism

noun

pes·​si·​mism ˈpe-sə-ˌmi-zəm 

 also  ˈpe-zə-

1

: an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome

2

a

: the doctrine that reality is essentially evil

b

: the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life

Examples of pessimism in a Sentence

Although the economy shows signs of improving, a sense of pessimism remains.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the current pessimism surrounding the stock appears overdone, possibly presenting a compelling valuation even as many stocks, net of the S & P 500′s rally this past week to new all-time highs, are beginning to look stretched. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 June 2025

Your objective is to reframe the pessimism and inspire hope. —Brent Dykes, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

However, consumers' pessimism, persistently weak new orders in manufacturing, a second consecutive month of rising initial claims for unemployment insurance, and a decline in housing permits weighed on the Index, leading to May's overall decline. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

Many films try to pay homage to 2001, but Sunshine is one of the few that at least approaches its grandeur, while Boyle introduces a deep pessimism that makes this movie a worthy spiritual follow-up to 28 Days Later’s profound despair. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French pessimisme, from Latin pessimus "worst" + French -isme -ism, formed by analogy with optimisme optimism; Latin pessimus, probably going back to *pedisamos, derivative (with -isamos, superlative suffix, going back to Italic & Celtic *-ism̥mos) of *ped-, extracted from *ped-tu- "a fall, falling" (whence Latin pessum "to the bottom, to destruction"), verbal noun from an Indo-European base *ped- "step, fall," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Old English gefetan "to fall," Old Church Slavic padǫ, pasti, Sanskrit padyate "(s/he) falls, perishes"

Note: The Indo-European verbal base *ped- is generally taken to be a derivative of the noun *pōd-, ped- "foot"; see foot entry 1.

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pessimism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

pessimism

noun

pes·​si·​mism ˈpes-ə-ˌmiz-əm 

1

: a tending to expect the worst possible outcome

2

: a belief that evil is more common than good in life

pessimist

-məst 

noun

Medical Definition

pessimism

noun

pes·​si·​mism

ˈpes-ə-ˌmiz-əm also ˈpez-

: an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome

pessimistic

ˌpes-ə-ˈmis-tik also ˌpez-

adjective