1
as in cynics
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 naysayers
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 pessimists
Optimists climb the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
—
Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
So far, all signs indicate that the pessimists were right.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 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
Studies show that optimists, compared to pessimists, have lower stress levels, move faster up the career ladder, have fewer health complaints and live longer.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
At the time, there were far fewer defeatist pessimists.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
Whatever thoughts past writers have had about the virtues of attention, pessimists would argue that the problem is different now.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Optimists and pessimists Are scientists merely speculating?
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The strong reports are of course good news for workers looking for jobs and for anyone worried about a possible recession that earlier seemed inevitable to pessimists.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
So far, all signs indicate that the pessimists were right.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 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
Studies show that optimists, compared to pessimists, have lower stress levels, move faster up the career ladder, have fewer health complaints and live longer.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
At the time, there were far fewer defeatist pessimists.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
Whatever thoughts past writers have had about the virtues of attention, pessimists would argue that the problem is different now.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Optimists and pessimists Are scientists merely speculating?
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The strong reports are of course good news for workers looking for jobs and for anyone worried about a possible recession that earlier seemed inevitable to pessimists.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimists. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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