PESSIMISM Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

pessimism

noun

Definition of pessimism

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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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 pessimism The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, also released Friday, showed greater pessimism about the economy this month, likely driven by stubbornly high prices. — Anne D'innocenzio, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 This pessimism is understandable—but significantly overstated. — Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 And that pessimism creates a barrier that keeps us from reaching out more often. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 His prose radiates an ecstatic pessimism, as if lit up from within by the relief of not having to sugarcoat things with comforting lies. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pessimism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism

Noun

But his approach is from a position of deftness and strength, not desperation.

— Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
The mood would be a mix of confidence, desperation and nagging dread.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of desperation

Noun

Despite being steeped in the sadness and frustration of the working class, Lee’s drama uses its film-within-a-film construct to refract the moral valences of labor through the prism of what people actually earn through their work.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
This one, however, finds the director in a mood to confront the inevitable changes and march of time, its joys and sadness in the lives of ordinary people going about living it.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

But comparisons aside, this is unmistakably a Lee Chang-dong film, its aching humanism reflecting the co-existence of despair and hope.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
From despair to salvation and then back again, the picture at the end of Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United was of flailing limbs, both on the touchline, as players mobbed late, late equaliser-scorer Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and in the stands.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of despair

Noun

After a shambolic end to the transfer window on Tuesday night, more doom and gloom was descending on Hill Dickinson Stadium five days later when United’s Benjamin Sesko headed home what looked to be an 88th-minute winner.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
There is a tendency for gloom to descend when thinking about Europe’s economic and business prospects.

— Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of gloom

Noun

Hollows haven’t been found elsewhere on planets in our solar system, and with no wind or water to form the thousands of puzzling depressions, scientists want to know what forces sculpted them.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Symptoms include fever, depression, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

Constant vigilance against the presence of AI inevitably begets cynicism and threatens to corrode the teacher-student relationship that is at the heart of education.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
This wasn’t a real protection strategy; this was a symbolic update cloaked in the appearance of safety that ultimately breeds cynicism toward the brand.

— Titania Jordan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of cynicism

Noun

On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.

— Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026

Definition of melancholy

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pessimism

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“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pessimism

noun

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