1
as in hopeless
emphasizing or expecting the worst
with that pessimistic attitude, it's no wonder you're depressed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cynical
having or showing a deep distrust of human beings and their motives
pessimistic about the prospects for a lasting peace in the area
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Recent Examples of pessimistic
Others are pessimistic, as costs and uncertainty have risen.
—
Kate Rogers, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
In many ways, though, Baron’s depiction of Lowell’s age makes for a pessimistic contrast with our own.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Goldberg’s message is not pessimistic but corrective.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2025
Americans are largely pessimistic about the prospects of Trump finding a way to end the war, a new poll found.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimistic
Kate Rogers, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
In many ways, though, Baron’s depiction of Lowell’s age makes for a pessimistic contrast with our own.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Goldberg’s message is not pessimistic but corrective.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2025
Americans are largely pessimistic about the prospects of Trump finding a way to end the war, a new poll found.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimistic
Adjective
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Nearly half of them reported feeling down, depressed or hopeless and experiencing sleep disturbances.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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The movie stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette in a story about a hopeless romantic who makes a wish that his long-time crush falls in love with him.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Huang, also a professional military strategist and university professor, told the Washington Examiner that his party sees the DPP’s posturing as a cynical move to build domestic support without considering the long-term consequences.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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That has often been misinterpreted as a cynical endorsement of warfare.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There is also, generally speaking, universal admission that boy, this game sure runs terribly on PC, leading to a huge number of negative Steam reviews, causing the game to be Mixed there.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Then, there’s the power to see through all of that, through what could be perceived as pain or a negative situation, and see the colorfulness of my culture, the warmth of my culture, and the community, as well.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimistic. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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