1
as in cynic
one who emphasizes bad aspects or conditions and expects the worst
she's such a pessimist that she's convinced she'll fail every test
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2
as in misanthrope
a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons
a true pessimist, he's convinced that there will be wars as long as there are people to wage them
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Recent Examples of pessimist
Major Intermediate Buy Signal Still Intact The AAII Bull-Bear Spread residing at minus 40.1 continues to reflect a percentage of pessimists trouncing the optimists by a factor of 3, with recent readings some of the most Bearish in history, given that Main Street is usually Bullish.
—
John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 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
Optimists scale the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 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
Optimists scale the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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But cynics will argue that Visa, like most payments platforms, profits from higher spend, not restrained consumption.—
Ilona Limonta-Volkova,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
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Those cynics contend the front office might as well spend that money on other position groups.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the world of college athletics turns to Monday’s hearing, a realist may argue that some compromise can be struck.—
Matt Rybaltowski,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Yet, as a realist, someone can’t help but notice the shift in tone and control.—
Max (Chong) Li,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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