pessimist
Americannoun
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pessimists
plural
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a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.
-
an adherent of the doctrine of pessimism.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Whether you are an A.I. optimist or pessimist, you’d ideally agree that few industries have ever screamed out more for intense scrutiny at a particular moment than generative A.I. does right now.
From Slate ● Apr. 7, 2026
A race-relations pessimist who invokes the ideas of other writers of that ilk—Ta-Nehisi Coates, for instance, and Isabel Wilkerson—he detects in America a “fatigue with the pursuit of equality and inclusion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 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
“An optimist is positive and hopeful. A pessimist is negative and cynical.”
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
“The pessimists would highlight that a similar convergence occurred in the second quarter of 2000, which ultimately marked the top for the market cycle,” said the strategist.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We were pessimists for many years," says Katariina Kähkönen, a reporter at Finland's MTV Uutiset.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
And the pessimists fear entry-level knowledge workers will become obsolete altogether.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
She has defied pessimists to be a hit with voters, especially young ones, with fans lapping up everything from her handbag to her jamming to a K-pop song with South Korea's president.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
Scientists can’t afford to be optimists or pessimists.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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.
