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
But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Crystal Palace Palace fans are usually the ultimate pessimists so this is a welcome change to see so many feeling good about the season.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Optimists showed greater differences in neural patterns when thinking of positive events versus negative events, compared to pessimists.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2025
The researchers also found that optimistic people showed bigger differences between brain patterns for emotionally positive and negative events than pessimists did.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Crystal Palace Palace fans are usually the ultimate pessimists so this is a welcome change to see so many feeling good about the season.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Optimists showed greater differences in neural patterns when thinking of positive events versus negative events, compared to pessimists.
—Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2025
The researchers also found that optimistic people showed bigger differences between brain patterns for emotionally positive and negative events than pessimists did.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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The belief by cynics is that Netflix wants to be a streaming service.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Dec. 2025
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In the years after 1991, Russians were trained cynics, having lived through Soviet decline and collapse; forcing belief would be a difficult endeavor, with an unclear upside.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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By the late chapters, Daphne and her contemporaries, now old, seem to remember less about those days with Cecil than does the reader, who came through them recently—an inspired way of calling forth the novel-ness of the novel without breaking the realist’s line.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
31 Dec. 2025
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Since Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet associated with responsibilities, boundaries and restrictions, those born under the sign are realists.—
Olivia Munson,
USA Today,
20 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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