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
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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
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Recent Examples of pessimists
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
While optimistic economists argue that America can grow its way out of a debt crisis, pessimists believe the real outcome will be somewhat less popular.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Nov. 2025
While optimistic economists argue that America can grow its way out of a debt crisis, pessimists believe the real outcome will be somewhat less popular.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimists
cynics
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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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
Cite this Entry
“Pessimists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimists. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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