pessimist

noun

pes·​si·​mist ˈpe-sə-mist How to pronounce pessimist (audio)
 also  ˈpe-zə-
plural pessimists
: a person who is inclined to expect poor outcomes : someone who is given to pessimism
… such was the success of the first venture that many must now be optimistic where most were pessimists at the beginning of the year and for several years before.Francis Byrne
For pessimists, the heavens offer a host of doomsday scenarios—an asteroid crashing into Earth or deadly cosmic rays raining down on the planet.R. Cowen

Examples of pessimist in a Sentence

she's such a pessimist that she's convinced she'll fail every test a true pessimist, he's convinced that there will be wars as long as there are people to wage them
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.
Yes, but: AGI is also not well-defined, and both optimists and pessimists have complained that it's become a moving goalpost. Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025 Optimists and pessimists Are scientists merely speculating? Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025 Even as Ukrainians remained mostly optimistic about their country’s future, the proportion of pessimists had also grown to 28 percent from 19 percent in December 2023. Anton Grushetskyi, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024 Challenging pessimists on their investments is somewhat of a cheap shot. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pessimist 

Word History

Etymology

pessim(ism) + -ist entry 1, after French pessimiste

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pessimist was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near pessimist

Cite this Entry

“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pessimist. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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