1
as in cynics
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naysayers
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pessimists
For the pessimists, Coreweave is Lucent or Nortel.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Optimists climb the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
So far, all signs indicate that the pessimists were right.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
At the time, there were far fewer defeatist pessimists.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
Optimists and pessimists Are scientists merely speculating?
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The strong reports are of course good news for workers looking for jobs and for anyone worried about a possible recession that earlier seemed inevitable to pessimists.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Optimists climb the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
So far, all signs indicate that the pessimists were right.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
At the time, there were far fewer defeatist pessimists.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
Optimists and pessimists Are scientists merely speculating?
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The strong reports are of course good news for workers looking for jobs and for anyone worried about a possible recession that earlier seemed inevitable to pessimists.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimists
cynics
Noun
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Pessimists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimists. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share