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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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
The pessimists believe that robots will take over human jobs, putting millions out of work.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Research involving Belgian newspaper articles and experts shows that public commentators on the topic tend to fall into three buckets: optimists (largely tech entrepreneurs), skeptics (largely economists) , and pessimists (authors and journalists).
—Nicky Dries,
joost Luyckx,
philip Rogiers, Harvard Business Review, 16 Sep. 2024
On one side, existential pessimists warn of an impending doom where AI's ascendancy leads to humanity's downfall.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
One 2022 study suggests that happiness leads to longer, healthier lives, with optimists living 11% to 15% longer than pessimists.
—Nancy Marshall, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pessimist 
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
Research involving Belgian newspaper articles and experts shows that public commentators on the topic tend to fall into three buckets: optimists (largely tech entrepreneurs), skeptics (largely economists) , and pessimists (authors and journalists).
—Nicky Dries,
joost Luyckx,
philip Rogiers, Harvard Business Review, 16 Sep. 2024
On one side, existential pessimists warn of an impending doom where AI's ascendancy leads to humanity's downfall.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
One 2022 study suggests that happiness leads to longer, healthier lives, with optimists living 11% to 15% longer than pessimists.
—Nancy Marshall, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pessimist
Thesaurus Entries Near pessimist
Cite this Entry
“Pessimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimist. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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