pessimism

[pes-uh-miz-uhm]

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.

pessimism

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pessimism¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pessimism¹

C18: from Latin pessimus worst, from malus bad

Example Sentences

It would be unfair to throw a blanket of pessimism over a night that ended in such euphoria.

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Sometimes pessimism reaches a point of moral error.

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This isn’t merely the pessimism of one despairing man.

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He views the NLRB’s future with “the greatest pessimism,” he says.

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“It would be wrong to look at AI in terms of optimism or pessimism,” he says.

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Related Words

• cynicism 
• despair 
• distrust 
• gloom 
• grief 
• hopelessness 
• melancholy 
• sadness 
• unhappiness www.thesaurus.com