pessimism

American  

[pes-uh-miz-uhm] / ˈpɛs əˌmɪz əm /

noun

1. the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc..

   His pessimism about the future of our country depresses me.

2. the doctrine that the existing world is the worst of all possible worlds, or that all things naturally tend to evil.

3. the belief that the evil and pain in the world are not compensated for by goodness and happiness.

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pessimism British  

/ ˈpɛsɪˌmɪzəm /

noun

1. the tendency to expect the worst and see the worst in all things

2. the doctrine of the ultimate triumph of evil over good

3. the doctrine that this world is corrupt and that man's sojourn in it is a preparation for some other existence

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Other Word Forms

• overpessimism noun
• pessimist noun
• pessimistic adjective
• pessimistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pessimism

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin pessim(us) “worst” (suppletive superlative of malus “bad”) + -ism; modeled on optimism ( def. )

Example Sentences

But some investors think the pessimism is overdone.

From MarketWatch

Middle East hostilities have increased consumer pessimism about the economy, according to data released Friday.

From MarketWatch

Microsoft’s stock is on pace for its worst quarterly performance since the financial crisis, underscoring the extent of investor pessimism around two of the company’s major businesses.

From MarketWatch

Microsoft’s stock is on pace for its worst quarterly performance since the financial crisis, underscoring the extent of investor pessimism around two of the company’s major businesses.

From MarketWatch

“We believe this combination of severe price compression, completely exhausted market breadth, and extreme pessimism is not a cause for panic, but rather a classic contrarian trading opportunity,” they wrote.

From Barron's

Related Words

• cynicism
• despair
• distrust
• gloom
• grief
• hopelessness
• melancholy
• sadness
• unhappiness