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
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
But even pessimists were shocked by how aggressively the new team in Washington shook things up.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
To the pessimists among them, Hollywood’s most personal profession has lost its human touch.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
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
But even pessimists were shocked by how aggressively the new team in Washington shook things up.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
To the pessimists among them, Hollywood’s most personal profession has lost its human touch.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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On the other hand, skeptics and cynics tend to be insistent right now that the clean-up activity is not going to last very long.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Travis Kelce knows what the cynics might think of his relationship with Taylor Swift — two of the most famous people in America just happen to match up perfectly?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Ever the geopolitical realist, the Chinese president will know Modi’s presence at his banquet was opportunistic at best, and doesn’t indicate the start of a beautiful friendship.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
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Even John Mearsheimer, the leading realist voice on Ukraine, concedes these demands are non-negotiable—but deeply unacceptable to Kyiv and its allies.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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