as in optimistic
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as in optimist
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Recent Examples of Pollyanna
Rich Roll, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
During the festival, those attending can enjoy a selection of beer, wine and cocktails from Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling, along with offerings from other local St. Charles breweries, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Your options aren’t only ‘cynical’ or ‘naïve’ The opposite of a cynic is a Pollyanna.
—Stav Ziv, CNBC, 24 June 2025
But isn’t the cynical explanation also the Pollyanna one?
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
Informed hope is not a Pollyanna attitude, but balancing the realities of the situation with the positive things people are doing.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Alexi’s tutu-twirling positivity should not be confused with Pollyanna, nor her quirky insights with naiveté.
—Rich Roll, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
During the festival, those attending can enjoy a selection of beer, wine and cocktails from Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling, along with offerings from other local St. Charles breweries, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Your options aren’t only ‘cynical’ or ‘naïve’ The opposite of a cynic is a Pollyanna.
—Stav Ziv, CNBC, 24 June 2025
But isn’t the cynical explanation also the Pollyanna one?
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
Informed hope is not a Pollyanna attitude, but balancing the realities of the situation with the positive things people are doing.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pollyanna
Adjective
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This means that previous modelling was likely overly optimistic of engine performance, and reveals that real engines will like underperform with existing designs.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
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And many borrowers began the year cautiously optimistic that the momentum would continue.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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An optimist and networker with Harpo Marx hair, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2023 for helping invent the HTTPS encryption system and was among the first to take AI seriously, back when AI seemed even more insane.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
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Ever the optimist, my take on this falls somewhere in the middle.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Still more come from artists, hopeful to be included the next time the lot gets painted.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Mar. 2026
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Currently coaching Duke’s wings, Dildy worked with Charlotte Hornets’ rookie Kon Knueppel last season, and is guiding NBA Lottery pick-hopeful Isiah Evans this season.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He’s got the twinkly eye and the sly, gregarious spiritual ease of a Micawber or a Cheeryble.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2024
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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
Noun
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This is ultimately a story about America and the kinds of dreamers the country produces: Garfield was an idealist, and Shannon portrays him with earnestness and purpose—a man devoted to his family but also to moral causes, including keeping Reconstruction from falling apart.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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While Sophie has a pragmatic approach to life, she’s complemented by Benedict, a dreamy idealist.—
Kat Moon,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What’s more, the profit picture for the film divisions of legacy entertainment conglomerates last year wasn’t rosy across the board either.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
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Airline stocks — Shares jumped after major carriers shared a rosy revenue outlook for the first quarter despite higher prices for jet fuel.—
Fred Imbert,Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Dean in Blue Valentine and Luke in The Place Beyond the Pines are two of a kind, individualistic dreamers who step willingly into responsibility and love fully when allowed to, but can’t quite figure out the right way to provide.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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The men and women under his employ were a rag-tag gang of dreamers and drifters, brought together by a love for adventure, a disdain for the society that had thrown their friends away in Vietnam, and a desire to spread the gospel of ganja.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Carlos Barria | Reuters Chinese artificial intelligence stocks surged Wednesday following upbeat comments from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the promise of AI agents and OpenClaw.—
Lee Ying Shan,Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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But also, your upbeat enthusiasm will appeal to everyone!—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pollyanna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pollyanna. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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