Pollyanna 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of Pollyannanext
as in optimistic

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Pollyanna

2 of 2

noun

as in optimist

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Pollyanna
Noun
Chris Howe directed the hour, with Gilligan exec producing alongside David Geli and Pollyanna McGirr. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2026 Despite his on-screen demise, Burke — who shares daughter Bluesy LaRue Burke with ex-wife Pollyanna Rose — has learned a lot about parenting from his character. — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025 Burke was previously married to actress Pollyanna Rose, per the Los Angeles Times. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025 Alexi’s tutu-twirling positivity should not be confused with Pollyanna, nor her quirky insights with naiveté. — Rich Roll, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Pollyanna
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pollyanna
  1. optimistic
  2. optimist
  3. hopeful
  4. Micawber
  5. rosy
  6. idealist
  7. upbeat
  8. dreamer
Adjective
  • Robert Hughson is feeling optimistic that the river that's formed in front of his house will go away.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • This year looks especially optimistic for the wardrobe essential, as people are preferring whimsical motifs, colors, and cuts over a simple crewneck or cardigan.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of optimistic
Noun
  • Still, optimists seem to be ruling the market, said Hendricks, so AI companies’ valuations are likely to keep inflating to unprecedented levels.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Morris was a wild-haired and bearded optimist with gentle eyes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of optimist
Adjective
  • For those unfamiliar with Fielder’s career or filmmaking approach, his assent to award season hopeful — even frontrunner — has felt like welcoming a strange alien to a planet inhabited by the slick Hollywood establishment.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • By the end, the stage had transformed into a portrait of renewal — a reminder that, even after tragedy, something hopeful can grow.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopeful
Noun
  • Ostrom also believes that this community is special and hopes to build a community backup from what used to be at Micawber's.
    — Ray Campos, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The smallest of the Micawber brood glides away in his baby carriage, because the bailiff is dragging the hallway carpet out from under the front door.
    — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2020
Definition of Micawber
Adjective
  • But as the boat drifted nearby under a vast, cloudless sky, a pod of pink river dolphins broke the glassy, reflective surface just yards away, their rosy dorsal fins glistening in the late-afternoon sun.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Looking ahead to the next quarter, things look less rosy for SPE, with The Social Reckoning and Klara and the Sun both already having bombed at the box office.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of rosy
Noun
  • But, as both an idealist and a pragmatist, she was drawn to the potential for science to solve difficult environmental problems.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Witty, bitter, flamboyant, and emotionally grounded, the dialogue swings, delightfully, between intimate exchanges and grandiloquent soliloquies, capturing the vulnerability of idealists in the face of evil.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of idealist
Adjective
  • O’Flynn plays government child protection worker Amy, reeling from a breakup, who moves back in with her best friend from childhood, the upbeat social worker Rosie (Bailey Johnson).
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The upbeat trading follows a rout early on as stock futures tumbled with election results starting to roll in Tuesday evening into Wednesday.
    — jillg366, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of upbeat
Noun
  • Harbach’s cast of strivers and dreamers included dazzling baseball shortstop Henry Skrimshander, his mentor Mike Schwartz, and Pella Affenlight, who made up a love triangle.
    — Malcolm Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Michele, who portrayed ambitious dreamer Rachel Berry for the entirety of the original series’ run, is reportedly set to return for the reboot.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dreamer

Browse Nearby Words

pollutions
Pollyanna
Pollyannaish
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Cite this Entry

“Pollyanna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pollyanna. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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