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

Steel yourself; the pessimists will have gravitas. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026

January’s 130,000 gain quieted the pessimists, proving that the labor market had found a floor. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

The pessimists will see the phrasing as an insult. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026

Now, many pessimists would say that just based on interviewing the person on the street, there’s not a big appetite for this kind of transformation among the hoi polloi. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above