pessimistic

adjective

pes·si·mis·tic | \ ˌpe-sə-ˈmi-stik also ˌpe-zə-

Definition of pessimistic

: of, relating to, or characterized by pessimism : gloomy

Other Words from pessimistic Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about pessimistic

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Choose the Right Synonym for pessimistic

cynical, misanthropic, pessimistic mean deeply distrustful. cynical implies having a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity. cynical about politicians' motives misanthropic suggests a rooted distrust and dislike of human beings and their society. a solitary and misanthropic artist pessimistic implies having a gloomy, distrustful view of life. pessimistic about the future

Examples of pessimistic in a Sentence

Most doctors were pessimistic that a cure could be found. The film gives a very pessimistic view of human nature. He has an extremely negative and pessimistic attitude.

Recent Examples on the Web

And Cornell’s pessimistic piece came at only the beginning of a decadeslong decline in daily newspaper circulation. — Julia Duin, WSJ, "It’s Hard to Find God on the Front Page," 3 May 2018 Making his playoff debut, Keenum faces more historically pessimistic numbers as Drew Brees comes to town (Sun. 4:40, FOX). — Jacob Feldman, SI.com, "On the Value of Playoff Experience at Quarterback," 11 Jan. 2018 An August scoop from The Information's Amir Efrati provides the pessimistic viewpoint here: The vast majority of Waymo’s test cars continue to use safety drivers. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Waymo One, the groundbreaking self-driving taxi service, explained," 5 Dec. 2018 The number and variety of newspapers that continue to exist—in tiny towns with populations in four figures, at gas stations in poor rural counties, and in villages clumped near each other—give hope to even the most pessimistic observer. — The Economist, "Small-town American newspapers are surprisingly resilient," 21 June 2018 At the White House, some senior officials grew more pessimistic after the meeting, privately predicting that a shutdown was likely. — Anchorage Daily News, "How Trump and Schumer came close to a budget deal over cheeseburgers," 20 Jan. 2018 Democrats are pessimistic and have seen barely any improvement in their outlook despite the steadily improving economic data. — Ben Casselman, New York Times, "Feeling Good About the Economy? You’re Probably a Republican," 15 June 2018 Investors and executives have grown more pessimistic about the economic outlook as concerns mount over international trade disputes. — Tatyana Shumsky, WSJ, "Goodwill Impairments Continue to Climb Despite Strong Economy," 20 Dec. 2018 But people are pessimistic anyway, seemingly immune to progress and good news. — Danny Westneat, The Seattle Times, "Why aren’t we asking if Seattle has gotten better, not worse?," 3 Sep. 2018

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