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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
That sensibility is countered by Dina’s, who plays the romantic foil to Liberty’s pessimist.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
For the pessimists, Coreweave is Lucent or Nortel.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
For the pessimists, Coreweave is Lucent or Nortel.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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The dollar amount was chosen arbitrarily based on what voters might accept, and some cynics saw it as a move by a pro-development commission to cozy up to environmentalists.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
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However, those cynics didn’t sound as enlightened when the Rockets were up 18 early in the fourth quarter Saturday night.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Welch was not a rabid anti-communist, just a realist who wanted to protect Fisher by ensuring this past association would not be used against him.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Instead, the network is a literal series of trains, waystations, and safe houses — a magical realist gesture from Whitehead’s book that Jenkins brings to striking life here.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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