as in desperation
a feeling or belief that bad things will happen in the future; a feeling or belief that what you hope for will not happen
She has expressed pessimism over the outcome of the trial. Although the economy shows signs of improving, a sense of pessimism remains. He expressed his pessimism about politics and politicians.
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Recent Examples of pessimism
The survey data aligns with recent polling from CBS News, which showed that rising energy prices are fueling pessimism about the nation's economy.
—
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
One reason may be a deep pessimism about what is possible.
—Audrey Sasson, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
College graduates are especially gloomy Job pessimism is especially pronounced among college graduates.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Job pessimism is especially pronounced among college graduates.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
One reason may be a deep pessimism about what is possible.
—Audrey Sasson, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
College graduates are especially gloomy Job pessimism is especially pronounced among college graduates.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Job pessimism is especially pronounced among college graduates.
—Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism
Noun
-
Whether firing Cassidy was an act of desperation or necessity or somewhere in between, all the focus will be on Tortorella's ability to maximize what management clearly believes is a roster capable of competing for a championship.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Blackouts and economic collapse have sparked widespread desperation in Cuba, with citizens openly protesting the government despite decades of political repression.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Relieved of their blindfolds, the men now wore heavy rucksacks filled with colored rocks representing their anger (red), guilt and shame (black), and sadness (blue).—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Reaction to the news Monday that the Connecticut Sun WNBA team is officially being moved to Houston was of sadness and regret in Connecticut, especially amongst those who had tried to keep the professional women’s basketball team in the state over the last year.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The festival hopes to encourage artists and fans to turn to comedy, theater, creativity and community instead of despair.—
Candace Hansen,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Resisting despair, both private and social, has long been central to Lerner’s mission.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Indeed, in Iran the slaughter of protesters by the Iranian Republican guards filled me with sorrow and outrage.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
-
As the communities in Maui continue to rebuild their homes and their lives two years after the wildfires killed 102 people, the flooding added to the sorrow.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Amid the doom and gloom of news coverage, audiences are hungry for wholesome feel-good content like animal videos.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
According to Cramer, the street chose to focus on the doom and gloom of rising oil prices, disregarding Wednesday's pullback.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Growing up on a farm in Wabasha, Minnesota, one of 18 children, Bea milked cows and attended a one-room schoolhouse during the great depression.—
Irene Gonzalez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Hoang models the potential sales of these drugs by using Johnson & Johnson's Spravato, an intranasal ketamine derivative first approved to address treatment-resistant depression in 2019 , as a case study.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And underlying them all is an unexpectedly sincere exploration of what true love can or should feel like, pitched right on the knife’s edge between sentimentality and cynicism.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
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Michael McKenzie plays Patrick Salamon, narrator and brother of Marcelle, and McKenzie is a standout, capturing both cynicism and wit.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The film’s empathetic interest in individual, often eccentric human lives gives it a warmth that overrides the underlying melancholy of the material, making for a pleasingly unsentimental crowdpleaser.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Some acknowledged the possibility that melancholy could be inherited.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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