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
Steel yourself; the pessimists will have gravitas.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
January’s 130,000 gain quieted the pessimists, proving that the labor market had found a floor.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
The pessimists will see the phrasing as an insult.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 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
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
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 Mar. 2026
January’s 130,000 gain quieted the pessimists, proving that the labor market had found a floor.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
The pessimists will see the phrasing as an insult.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimists
cynics
Noun
-
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
-
However, those cynics didn’t sound as enlightened when the Rockets were up 18 early in the fourth quarter Saturday night.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pessimists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimists. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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