pessimist
noun
pes·si·mist
ˈpe-sə-mist 
also ˈpe-zə-
plural pessimists
: a person who is inclined to expect poor outcomes : someone who is given to pessimism
… such was the success of the first venture that many must now be optimistic where most were pessimists at the beginning of the year and for several years before.—
Francis Byrne
Francis ByrneFor pessimists, the heavens offer a host of doomsday scenarios—an asteroid crashing into Earth or deadly cosmic rays raining down on the planet.—R. Cowen
R. CowenExamples of pessimist in a Sentence
she's such a pessimist that she's convinced she'll fail every test
a true pessimist, he's convinced that there will be wars as long as there are people to wage them
Recent Examples on the Web
But that doesn’t stop a chorus of pessimists from emerging amid periods of market volatility.
—Luke Andriuk, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
In contrast, pessimists often miss opportunities by holding cash.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
The power basketball conferences have dominated, and because power means football, and football means money, specifically more NIL money to use as tokens for players to use the NCAA transfer portal, pessimists see the mid-majors such as San Diego State on life support.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Unfortunately, given the stakes of the question, no one really knows whether the optimists or the pessimists have the better case.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
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Luke Andriuk, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
In contrast, pessimists often miss opportunities by holding cash.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
The power basketball conferences have dominated, and because power means football, and football means money, specifically more NIL money to use as tokens for players to use the NCAA transfer portal, pessimists see the mid-majors such as San Diego State on life support.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Unfortunately, given the stakes of the question, no one really knows whether the optimists or the pessimists have the better case.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pessimist. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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