optimism
Americannoun
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a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.
- Synonyms:
- cheerfulness, hopefulness, confidence
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the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.
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the belief that goodness pervades reality.
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the doctrine that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.
noun
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the tendency to expect the best and see the best in all things
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hopefulness; confidence
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the doctrine of the ultimate triumph of good over evil
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the philosophical doctrine that this is the best of all possible worlds
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of optimism
First recorded in 1730–40; from French optimisme, from Latin optim(um) ( see optimum) + French -isme -ism
Explanation
Optimism is all about seeing the bright side of things. If you think it’s going to be a great day, even though the bills are due, you lost your wallet, and you forgot your lunch, then you're full of optimism. Optimism is expecting that the best will happen. It comes from the Latin word optimus, which means "best." Even if you don’t think the very best thing will always happen, if you're generally given to optimism, you think things will get better instead of worse. The opposite of optimism is pessimism, which is the expectation that everything will go wrong, or is wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing optimism
Words for a New Year
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Power Suffix: -ism
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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.
But the stock has started to claw its way back, fueled by optimism around Rackspace’s push into AI cloud services.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
Reflecting fresh optimism, bettors on Polymarket now see a 64% chance that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen by the end of July.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
Health officials have warned that many of these are still being missed and until they are found, any optimism may be short-lived.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Investor sentiment has been boosted by optimism over the U.S.-Iran deal and lower oil prices, the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
I thought a lot about American optimism when, on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco, I watched one of those video magazines stitched together from a week's worth of soft network news reports.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
