pessimism

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noun pes·si·mism \ˈpe-sə-ˌmi-zəm also ˈpe-zə-\

Definition of pessimism

1 : an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
2a : the doctrine that reality is essentially evilb : the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life

pessimist

play \ˈpe-sə-mist also ˈpe-zə-\ noun

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Examples of pessimism in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of pessimism from the Web

The Trumpophobic media turned McConnell’s pessimism into a veritable death certificate for Obamacare repeal and replacement.

— deroy murdock, National Review, "Senate Majority Leader McConnell Should . . . Lead the Senate Majority," 10 July 2017
Here, Paul’s crusty pessimism hides a fundamentally optimistic – if also narcissistic –outlook.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'The Unexpected Man' an all-too-predictable Yasmina Reza trip," 5 July 2017
The mood of pessimism is even starker among African-American civilians, especially in the wake of Yanez’s acquittal.

— brandon harris, New Republic, "Searching for Justice for Samuel DuBose," 20 June 2017
The pessimism about the society and the weakness of the party have left Republicans vulnerable to an authoritarian populist like Donald Trump.

— david frum, The Atlantic, "Why Do Democracies Fail?," 20 June 2017
Calhoun fanned the pessimism, making specific predictions that if humans failed to slow their exponential rate of population growth, a similar extinction could befall them by the year 2027.

— fredrick kunkle, Washington Post, "The researcher who loved rats and fueled our doomsday fears," 19 June 2017
That led to credit downgrades, and the pessimism reverberated to grocery competitors.

— bloomberg news, OregonLive.com, "Kroger takes $7B hit as Amazon deal compounds struggles," 19 June 2017
A decrease in inventories can be a sign of pessimism about future sales.

— matt ott, The Seattle Times, "US businesses cut stockpiles in April," 14 June 2017
After initial pessimism about the man's prognosis, Hendren and his colleagues became cautiously optimistic.

— ben tinker, CNN, "Man dies after swimming with new tattoo," 2 June 2017

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