optimist
AmericanOther Word Forms
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.
Ever the optimist, Huang has used his presentations—to investors and developers—to push back on the bear case.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
"I was born an optimist," he told me.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 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
I’m enough of a cockeyed optimist to believe that exposure to different cultures, to ways of being in, looking at and talking about the world, can cure a person of prejudice.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025
Nevertheless, I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be seduced by it all, and for a few months I lived the life of an optimist.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
