optimistic

adjective

ˌäp-tə-ˈmi-stik How to pronounce optimistic (audio)
Definition of optimisticnext
as in promising
having qualities which inspire hope the economic predictions for the coming year are actually quite optimistic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 optimistic Democrats felt optimistic about taking the majority earlier in the night than some had expected after the shocking win in South Carolina. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026 The 49ers’ bye week also came at a good time, with Mike Evans and Nick Bosa optimistic about returning and the addition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner providing another boost. — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026 Concerns about cognitive aging are real, and Treves remains optimistic about the potential of technologies that measure and influence brain activity. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 With that, the Producers Guild had their own optimistic POV on Newsom’s big bucks proposal. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for optimistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optimistic
  1. promising
  2. bright
  3. hopeful
Adjective
  • Astronomers have cataloged more than 6,000 exoplanets and are examining the atmospheres of promising worlds for gases that could indicate biological activity.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The doubleheader at PeoplesBank Arena showed off the UConn programs in a most promising light.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of promising
Adjective
  • An exuberant pre-dawn sky — filled with large, bright stars, a luminous crescent moon, and blue and white swirls — dominates the landscape featuring a prominent cypress tree and distant hillside village.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the only picture mode that comes close to being that bright also has a notably green bias and ramps up the fan noise to a level that almost anyone will consider intolerable.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of bright
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

Browse Nearby Words

optimist
optimistic
optimistically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All