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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
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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
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Here, Paul’s crusty pessimism hides a fundamentally optimistic – if also narcissistic –outlook.
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The mood of pessimism is even starker among African-American civilians, especially in the wake of Yanez’s acquittal.
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The pessimism about the society and the weakness of the party have left Republicans vulnerable to an authoritarian populist like Donald Trump.
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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.
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That led to credit downgrades, and the pessimism reverberated to grocery competitors.
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A decrease in inventories can be a sign of pessimism about future sales.
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After initial pessimism about the man's prognosis, Hendren and his colleagues became cautiously optimistic.
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Reason for pessimism: The team will need to load up its non-conference schedule to offset a less competitive America East slate.
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.
Origin and Etymology of pessimism
French pessimisme, from Latin pessimus worst — more at pejorative
Other Psychology Terms
PESSIMISM Defined for English Language Learners
pessimism
playDefinition of pessimism for English Language Learners
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: a feeling or belief that bad things will happen in the future : a feeling or belief that what you hope for will not happen
PESSIMISM Defined for Kids
pessimism
playDefinition of pessimism for Students
: a feeling or belief that things are usually bad or that bad things will happen
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about pessimism
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See words that rhyme with pessimism Spanish Central: Translation of pessimism Nglish: Translation of pessimism for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pessimism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pessimism
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