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.
Refuse to Magnify the Madness Optimists face the same storms as pessimists but emerge better off. Margie Warrell, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 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 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 22 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on pessimist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!