Panglossian
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of Panglossian
First recorded in 1825–35; after Pangloss, an optimistic character in Voltaire's Candide; compare Greek panglossía “garrulousness, wordiness” ( see pan-, glosso-, -y 3); see -ian
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.
Of course, there are limits to taking a Panglossian attitude and psyching ourselves up in the face of challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
In the other, titles sounded optimistic, almost Panglossian.
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Must we accept the Panglossian notion that the conventional slow grind of justice is the best of all possible systems?
From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2022
Of all the euphemisms the Times has used for "pathological lying," "Panglossian dismissiveness" maybe the the Times-iest.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2020
When my master adopted the Panglossian view of the universe I used no arguments that might cloud his serenity.
From The Belovéd Vagabond by Locke, William John
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.
