Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

bearish

American  
[bair-ish] / ˈbɛər ɪʃ /

adjective

  1. like a bear; rough, burly, or clumsy.

  2. Informal. grumpy, bad-mannered, or rude.

  3. Commerce.

    1. declining or tending toward a decline in prices.

    2. characterized by or reflecting unfavorable prospects for the economy or some aspect of it.

      a bearish market.
bearish British  
/ ˈbɛərɪʃ /

adjective

  1. like a bear; rough; clumsy; churlish

  2. stock exchange causing, expecting, or characterized by a fall in prices

    a bearish market
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • bearishly adverb
  • bearishness noun

Etymology

Origin of bearish

First recorded in 1735–45; bear 2 + -ish 1

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.

The dollar strengthened, but the U.S.-Iran cease-fire is bearish for the dollar, JPMorgan said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

We can see the triple top that occurred near the $125,000 level, marked by a bearish shooting star candle on July 14 and bearish engulfing candles on Aug. 14, and Oct.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

McDermott said that the RPO momentum should dispel bearish concerns that ServiceNow’s business will be hurt by the proliferation of cheaper AI tools.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

That rally was enough to get skeptic BNP Paribas analyst David O’Connor to back away from his bearish call on the stock.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

The bearish boy jammed his stick into the ground, spearing the soft earth.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Definitions 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.