optimist
Americannoun
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optimists
plural
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an optimistic person.
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a person who holds the belief or the doctrine of optimism.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of optimist
First recorded in 1760–70; from French optimiste, from Latin optim(um) ( see optimum) + French -iste -ist
Explanation
An optimist is someone who always sees the bright side of any situation — a trait that can be either encouraging or annoying, depending on your frame of mind. Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” When you think about the problems in the world, it might sometimes be difficult to remain an optimist. Yet some people just naturally look for the silver lining, like Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh stories who, when admitting that it's still snowing and freezing, remarks, "However, we haven't had an earthquake lately." Now that's an optimist!
Vocabulary lists containing optimist
Fish in a Tree
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Home of the Brave
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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:
Odysseus may have held out hope throughout years of setbacks, obstacles and traps laid by vengeful deities, but the man who plays him on the big screen is no optimist.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
But what type of fan are you - a die-hard enthusiast analysing all the tactics, a bag of nerves who watches from behind the sofa or an eternal optimist happy to go with the flow?
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
But the eternal optimist said he draws strength from the example set by Glover: "He's a natural American hero, in my opinion."
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
Askell describes herself as an optimist but still sees risks that society’s checks and balances may get overwhelmed by AI advancements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
“An optimist is positive and hopeful. A pessimist is negative and cynical.”
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
"Tearing our hair out and burying ourselves in the ground -- that's not our way. We are optimists," Vadym, who declined to give his surname, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The optimists, looking ahead to a peace deal, can expect the Treasury market to refocus on other drivers once the war ends, like the Fed.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
“The optimists who say we are turning the corner, and the people who say, ‘Well maybe if we had done this 10 or 15 years we’d be OK,’ but now, they’re not so sure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
The short answer is more than even the optimists dared hope for.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
He’s one of those eternal optimists, which is another one of those cute Sahil things I’m trying not to notice too much.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
