pessimism

noun

pes·​si·​mism ˈpe-sə-ˌmi-zəm How to pronounce pessimism (audio)
 also  ˈpe-zə-
1
: an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
2
a
: the doctrine that reality is essentially evil
b
: the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life

Examples of pessimism in a Sentence

Although the economy shows signs of improving, a sense of pessimism remains.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In fact, the December survey represented the sharpest swing toward market optimism in the survey’s 17-year history and the April survey is the sharpest turn towards pessimism. Steve Liesman, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025 This is up from 33% in December and 17% in October, marking a dramatic increase in pessimism in just six months. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025 Washington shifted from pessimism to overconfidence. Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2025 The rise is also surprising given Americans’ pessimism about their own and the country’s economic prospects. Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pessimism

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French pessimisme, from Latin pessimus "worst" + French -isme -ism, formed by analogy with optimisme optimism; Latin pessimus, probably going back to *pedisamos, derivative (with -isamos, superlative suffix, going back to Italic & Celtic *-ism̥mos) of *ped-, extracted from *ped-tu- "a fall, falling" (whence Latin pessum "to the bottom, to destruction"), verbal noun from an Indo-European base *ped- "step, fall," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Old English gefetan "to fall," Old Church Slavic padǫ, pasti, Sanskrit padyate "(s/he) falls, perishes"

Note: The Indo-European verbal base *ped- is generally taken to be a derivative of the noun *pōd-, ped- "foot"; see foot entry 1.

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pessimism was in 1815

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pessimism. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

pessimism

noun
pes·​si·​mism ˈpes-ə-ˌmiz-əm How to pronounce pessimism (audio)
1
: a tending to expect the worst possible outcome
2
: a belief that evil is more common than good in life
pessimist noun

Medical Definition

pessimism

noun
pes·​si·​mism
ˈpes-ə-ˌmiz-əm also ˈpez-
: an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
pessimistic
ˌpes-ə-ˈmis-tik also ˌpez-
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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