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pessimism

0 synonyms and 1 antonyms for pessimism, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A general tendency to expect the worst outcome or to focus on the negative.

Antonyms

How to use pessimism

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

growing pessimism a sense of pessimism economic pessimism

Etymology

From French pessimisme, ultimately from Latin pessimus ("worst"). The philosophical sense was popularized by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in the early 1800s.

Full origin of pessimism →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pessimism” mean?

The word “pessimism” means a general tendency to expect the worst outcome or to focus on the negative. In plain terms, expecting things to go badly — the opposite of optimism.

How do you pronounce “pessimism”?

“Pessimism” is pronounced PEH-sih-mih-zuhm (/ˈpɛsɪmɪzəm/ in IPA).

How do you use “pessimism” in a sentence?

Here is “pessimism” used in a sentence: “His pessimism made it hard for him to enjoy even good news.”

What is the opposite of “pessimism”?

The opposite of “pessimism” — its antonyms — is optimism.

What part of speech is “pessimism”?

“Pessimism” is a noun.

Where does the word “pessimism” come from?

The word “pessimism” dates back to around 1800 and comes from Latin. From French pessimisme, ultimately from Latin pessimus ("worst"). The philosophical sense was popularized by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in the early 1800s.

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Synonyms and antonyms from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.