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

In retirement planning, this is less about pessimism and more about preparedness. —Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

The film is set in 2029, a mere three years from now, demonstrating both an optimism about the potentiality of AI and a pessimism about the city’s trajectory. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026

The West and the East and the past were equally doomed, and the only realistic view of the world was one of absolute, uncompromising pessimism. —Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026

The overall pessimism is leading people to stay put in their current jobs out of fear of facing a challenging job market, also known as job hugging. —Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026

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