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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 most common reason for this pessimism was fear that the PKK itself might sabotage the process.
—
Alpaslan Ozerdem, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet the transfer deadline was accompanied by a tone of understandable pessimism among fans that has rarely been seen on Fosun’s watch.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The pessimism is mirrored in labor market realities.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Alpaslan Ozerdem, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet the transfer deadline was accompanied by a tone of understandable pessimism among fans that has rarely been seen on Fosun’s watch.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The pessimism is mirrored in labor market realities.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism
Noun
-
But before long his hearing begins to disappear, leading him down a panicked trail of denial, anger and desperation.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Irish have scored four total touchdowns in the past two games against Elko, which included that desperation run by Audric Estime at Duke two years ago.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Julianne cited her sisters' accomplishments in their own fields, as well as their flourishing personal lives, as a reason why the sadness never flowered into full-on resentment.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Shock, anger, sadness, disbelief were words used by multiple senior sources inside the West Wing, ABC News' Katherine Faulders said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As France awaits its next prime minister, Bacharan says many people are in despair over the uncertainty this has brought on the country.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Mauricio says his wife didn’t give in to that despair and felt reassured by having a work permit.—
Gustavo Valdés,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Jolie nonetheless manages to bring some palpable life to the role, complicating her otherworldly magnetism with a dawning dread and sorrow.—
Richard Lawson,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The doom and gloom among consumers is likely related to the concerning trend of low hiring that is increasingly becoming apparent from revisions by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The mood in clean tech is far from doom and gloom.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In these homes, the conflict between budgeting and feeding kids well creates huge psychological stress for parents, which can lead to anxiety and depression, fueling the vicious cycle of stress and unhealthy eating, Beresin said.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, the Brit had been open about his struggles with alcohol, drugs and depression.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But cynicism is exactly what unethical politicians count on.—
Matt Germer,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Throwing technology at problems without understanding how work gets done day-to-day is a surefire way to waste money and breed cynicism.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The result is a film that glimmers with moments of wit and melancholy but never settles into coherence.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The film is a series of character studies, quiet, observational and non-judgmental – a comedy, but interwoven with threads of melancholy.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share