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
The pessimists will see the phrasing as an insult.
—
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
The pessimist would say the school can't win.
—CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
And in recent weeks, AI bubble pessimists have rallied around Michael Burry, the hedge-fund investor who made hundreds of millions of dollars betting against the housing market in 2008.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025
That sensibility is countered by Dina’s, who plays the romantic foil to Liberty’s pessimist.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
The pessimist would say the school can't win.
—CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
And in recent weeks, AI bubble pessimists have rallied around Michael Burry, the hedge-fund investor who made hundreds of millions of dollars betting against the housing market in 2008.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025
That sensibility is countered by Dina’s, who plays the romantic foil to Liberty’s pessimist.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
-
The cynics are figures like Sam Bankman-Fried, who built a fortune off of a crypto exchange called FTX, which crashed and burned in the fall of 2022, eventually sending Bankman-Fried to prison for fraud.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
-
The character is described as playful but also a realist who’s well aware of society’s unspoken rules.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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Curry is the ultimate realist and the ultimate dreamer.—
Sports Columnist,
San Francisco Chronicle,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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