rosy
adjective
pink or pinkish-red; roseate.
rosy
1 American
[roh-zee]
/ ˈroʊ zi /
adjective
-
rosier,
comparative
-
rosiest
superlative
-
pink or pinkish-red; roseate.
-
(of persons, the cheeks, lips, etc.) having a fresh, healthy redness.
- Antonyms:
- pale
-
bright or promising.
a rosy future.
- Antonyms:
- unpromising
-
cheerful or optimistic.
rosy anticipations.
- Antonyms:
- cheerless
-
made or consisting of roses.
a rosy bower.
Rosy
2
American
[roh-zee]
/ ˈroʊ zi /
noun
rosy
British
/ ˈrəʊzɪ /
adjective
-
of the colour rose or pink
-
having a healthy pink complexion
rosy cheeks
-
optimistic, esp excessively so
a rosy view of social improvements
-
full of health, happiness, or joy
rosy slumbers
-
resembling, consisting of, or abounding in roses
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of rosy
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at rose 1, -y 1
Explanation
Use the adjective rosy to describe something that's healthy and pink, like a child's rosy cheeks or a rosy lipstick. A flushed face is rosy — it's the glowing pink color of a natural blush, and it implies good health. From this meaning comes the secondary one, "optimistic or lucky." If the future looks rosy to you, it appears that great things are going to happen, and if someone has a rosy nature, they're cheerful. Rosy is from rose and its Latin root, rosa.
Vocabulary lists containing rosy
Pink
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Excerpt from "The Little Mermaid"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The World According to Humphrey
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the increases in bond yields have emerged as a threat to the rosy economic and earnings outlook, Joyce added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
But in commentary shared with MarketWatch, Slok said out that the gap between tech analysts’ rosy cash-flow forecasts and the more modest numbers being penciled in for other sectors was looking suspiciously wide.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Buoyed by Nvidia’s rosy outlook for semiconductor sales next year, the S&P 500’s information technology sector was the lone industry in the green, notching a 3.4% gain that pushed the broad index up 0.7%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Most of the rosy posts made some mention of the fact that Columbia House’s operation was unethical at best, but that the customer-service runarounds, unwelcome bills and general scuzziness had all faded with time.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Is Beth the rosy one, who stays at home good deal and sometimes goes out with a little basket?” asked Laurie with interest.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Adrian Aceves, a physician living in downtown Washington, said he'd be staying in with his five-year-old mutt Rosy, "trying to distract her with treats and toys, and I will medicate her."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwen portray Patricia Cornwell’s famous forensic medical examiner in Prime Video’s “Scarpetta,” the first time the character has been on screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
Rosy Whittemore, project curator at Cosgrove Hall Films Archive, added that "whatever age you are, you recognise something from your era".
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
Rosy sentiment was further boosted by a detente in the US-China trade war, with top leaders agreeing Thursday to walk back punitive measures that had disrupted international supply chains and manufacturing sectors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
Over half the lunch was thus wasted when Maurice changed the topic to Rosy and droned on and on about her lack of cooperation.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
It may not feel like it—with all the news about more pressure on Americans’ wallets—but here’s some rosier data from the Census Bureau.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
But a rampant League Cup win against St Mirren, followed by four league wins on the bounce, and things look a bit rosier heading into Sunday's game at Ibrox.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
“The Dog Stars” is based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name, which, in those naive, pre-COVID times, was received as a rosier take on Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Results for the most recent quarter were rosier by comparison.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
Nick Hammond, the classicist head tutor at Clare, painted a much rosier outlook for their foreign research students.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Anthropic doesn’t expect to spend nearly as much, but its rosiest forecasts tell a similar story of mounting computing costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Even the rosiest predictions show rivers like the Elwha and Dungeness will still only flow with around 80% of their normal water levels, said Brent Bower, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
That kind of massive technological rollout is many years away in the rosiest of scenarios.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
When West launched his Sunday Service campaign from a secretive Calabasas location in 2019, the backdrop wasn’t the rosiest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
But when telling Augustus Waters, I painted the rosiest possible picture, embellishing the miraculousness of the miracle.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
