pessimist

[pes-uh-mist]

noun

1. a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.

2. an adherent of the doctrine of pessimism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pessimist¹

First recorded in 1830–40; pessim(ism) + -ist

Example Sentences

They needed simply to entice Mike Burry, or some other market pessimist, to pick 100 different triple-B bonds and buy $10 million in credit default swaps on each of them.

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That is a somewhat granular data point that pessimists will hang onto, as they fear “white box” competition, or the emergence of Big Tech’s own equipment taking share from Arista’s.

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He describes himself as a “long-term optimist but a short-term pessimist.”

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A pessimist, however, would look and see the need for careful risk management.

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“My advice is simple: Plan like a pessimist and travel like an optimist,” he said.

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Related Words

• cynic 
• worrier