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
Has the pessimism finally been factored into Microsoft?
—
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
There’s a big conversation going on in the UK about the need for positivity in climate fiction, for example—paths of light to direct people away from hopelessness and pessimism.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
As well as Williams, there’s pessimism in the paddock around Aston Martin, which will arrive late to testing on Thursday.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Right now, this market seems possessed by pessimism.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
There’s a big conversation going on in the UK about the need for positivity in climate fiction, for example—paths of light to direct people away from hopelessness and pessimism.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
As well as Williams, there’s pessimism in the paddock around Aston Martin, which will arrive late to testing on Thursday.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Right now, this market seems possessed by pessimism.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism
Noun
-
The Guthrie family's 'hour of desperation' The Guthrie family has posted several videos on social media over the past two weeks, addressing both Savannah Guthrie's followers and a person who may have abducted Nancy Guthrie.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
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Daytona, after all, is a place where desperation reigns.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rosalía joined in September, writing about the purpose of her art but also the sadness around her birthday.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The manipulations also affected how much sadness and anger participants reported feeling while scrolling.—
Simon Makin,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That this administration can reasonably be viewed as a criminal enterprise should not be cause for despair.—
James Speyer,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
There are moments where the album’s tone skews leaden, where Shaw positions us right on the edge of despair.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow and condolences to the victims’ families and directed authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
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And this production certainly has that, making for a consistently entertaining drama that can quicken your heart one minute and plunge it into profound sorrow the next.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Charli ends the album with a sense of faint dawn creeping in against the gloom.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
-
For now, January’s report looks like a solid break in the gloom, if not the beginning of a boom.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Next, using a statistical tool known as a Cox regression model, the researchers equalized the participants based on factors such as age, smoking status, BMI, physical activity, alcohol intake, depression, family history of dementia, medication use and more.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
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His relationship with Serena developed during his wife’s battle with depression.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Premiering in 2004, Project Runway was instrumental in ushering in a new style of reality competition based on skill rather than duplicity and cynicism.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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That approach deepens cynicism and reinforces the belief that government is something done to people, not with them.—
Garrett Lucien,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Turner plays the middle brother with intriguing melancholy and an almost alien detachment, which works within the world this film creates, but not necessarily for a main character.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Feb. 2026
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Fanning’s name was the first called when nominations were announced, signaling that Scandinavian melancholy would be notably absent that morning.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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