1
as in cynic
one who emphasizes bad aspects or conditions and expects the worst
she's such a pessimist that she's convinced she'll fail every test
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misanthrope
a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons
a true pessimist, he's convinced that there will be wars as long as there are people to wage them
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Recent Examples of pessimist
Unfortunately, given the stakes of the question, no one really knows whether the optimists or the pessimists have the better case.
—
Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Major Intermediate Buy Signal Still Intact The AAII Bull-Bear Spread residing at minus 40.1 continues to reflect a percentage of pessimists trouncing the optimists by a factor of 3, with recent readings some of the most Bearish in history, given that Main Street is usually Bullish.
—John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2021
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Major Intermediate Buy Signal Still Intact The AAII Bull-Bear Spread residing at minus 40.1 continues to reflect a percentage of pessimists trouncing the optimists by a factor of 3, with recent readings some of the most Bearish in history, given that Main Street is usually Bullish.
—John Buckingham, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In another survey, optimists were 40% more likely to get promoted over the next year, six times more likely to be highly engaged at work and five times less likely to burn out than pessimists.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimist
Noun
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However, cynics have long predicted that AVs will flounder among the flocks of cyclists in European cities such as Amsterdam.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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Instead, cynics might argue, the exercise was about proving to the White House that Putin was not interested in the peace, or indeed the specific ceasefire proposal, that the Trump administration sought.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Shahn was known as a social realist: a painter of hardscrabble life who registered every spasm and twitch of the body politic, from the Great Depression to Vietnam.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
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Prioritization is a realist strategy, and what keeps realists up at night is the threat of a rival great power controlling an economically vital part of the world.—
JENNIFER LIND,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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