pessimist
Americannoun
-
a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.
-
an adherent of the doctrine of pessimism.
Etymology
Origin of pessimist
First recorded in 1830–40; pessim(ism) + -ist
Explanation
If the world can be divided into those who see the glass half empty and those who see the glass half full, the half-empty crew are known as pessimists––they always see the worst. The opposite of pessimist is optimist––someone who always sees thing in a positive light. Most people insist they are optimists, and when accused of pessimism suggest they're only focusing on reality. In fact, though, people who see reality as it is are called "realists."
Vocabulary lists containing pessimist
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Body Language: Ped, Pod ("Foot")
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Crenshaw
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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.
Leading the pessimist concerto, Bloomberg News claimed that a “diving stock market” and $100-a-barrel crude could augur a financial crisis as catastrophic as the 2008-09 crash.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
A pessimist, however, would look and see the need for careful risk management.
From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025
“My advice is simple: Plan like a pessimist and travel like an optimist,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 8, 2025
"Even with a powerful government like the Chinese one, it is hard to arrest pessimist sentiments when the economy looks bleak, the job market is cruelly competitive, and birth rate hits rock bottom."
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
Being seventeen and bored in a small town, I like to pretend sometimes that I’m a pessimist.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
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.
