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

For 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

Synonyms of pessimist

• cynic
• realist

Examples 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

And in recent weeks, AI bubble pessimists have rallied around Michael Burry, the hedge-fund investor who made hundreds of millions of dollars betting against the housing market in 2008. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025

Skeptics and nuclear pessimists might blanch at the idea of a world with more nuclear-armed powers, but such concerns are less warranted when proliferation is pursued selectively. —Moritz S. Graefrath, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2025

While optimistic economists argue that America can grow its way out of a debt crisis, pessimists believe the real outcome will be somewhat less popular. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025

That sensibility is countered by Dina’s, who plays the romantic foil to Liberty’s pessimist. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

pessim(ism) + -ist entry 1, after French pessimiste

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above