1
as in cynic
one who emphasizes bad aspects or conditions and expects the worst
she's such a pessimist that she's convinced she'll fail every test
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2
as in misanthrope
a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons
a true pessimist, he's convinced that there will be wars as long as there are people to wage them
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Recent Examples of pessimist
Major Intermediate Buy Signal Still Intact The AAII Bull-Bear Spread residing at minus 40.1 continues to reflect a percentage of pessimists trouncing the optimists by a factor of 3, with recent readings some of the most Bearish in history, given that Main Street is usually Bullish.
—
John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The power basketball conferences have dominated, and because power means football, and football means money, specifically more NIL money to use as tokens for players to use the NCAA transfer portal, pessimists see the mid-majors such as San Diego State on life support.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Optimists scale the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The power basketball conferences have dominated, and because power means football, and football means money, specifically more NIL money to use as tokens for players to use the NCAA transfer portal, pessimists see the mid-majors such as San Diego State on life support.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Optimists scale the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2013 graphic lesbian love story Blue Is the Warmest Color confounded cynics by winning over a jury headed by, of all people, Steven Spielberg.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
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Ignore the cynics and their interest in intimidating ironic innovation!—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Working with his skilled team of animators, Bienvenu evokes Iris’ world with the detail and bold touch of a realist.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
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Her Daphne was a realist, a hedonist and, like Fahy, a great hang.—
Alexis Soloski,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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