Synonyms of pessimist

pessimist

noun

ˈpe-sə-mist 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cynic
• realist
• defeatist
• Cassandra
• fatalist
• nihilist
• pragmatist
• Jeremiah
• naysayer
• worrier
• worrywart
• knocker
• hardnose
• anti-utopian

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• optimist
• Pollyanna
• idealist
• romantic
• dreamer
• Don Quixote
• romanticist
• visionary
• ideologue
• sentimentalist
• utopian
• fantast
• idealizer

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cynic
• misanthrope
• critic
• naysayer
• skeptic
• doubter
• misogynist
• scoffer
• detractor
• negativist
• defeatist
• misandrist
• derider
• quitter
• malcontent
• belittler

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• optimist
• idealist
• Pollyanna
• positivist
• sentimentalist

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pessimist

But pessimists worry that companies are deferring the cost of massive spending, while front-loading the benefits. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 14 July 2026

However, that’s looking at it from the pessimist’s point of view. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Advertisement If Rogen was the optimist, did that make Wilde the pessimist? — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026

That is a hard thing to live with—but, the pessimist would answer, who thought life was supposed to be easy? — Literary Hub, 14 May 2026