Pessimist Meaning
/ˈpɛsɪmɪst/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomeone who habitually expects the worst outcome; one who looks on the dark side of things.
Sentence Examples
The optimist looks into a mirror and becomes more optimistic, the pessimist more pessimistic.
I am by turns an optimist and a pessimist.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because he always expected the worst outcome of his plans, everyone called John a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As a ____, she always expected the worst outcome and was rarely surprised when things went wrong.
Word Origin & History
From French pessimiste, from Latin pessimus (“worst”) + -ist.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I will not marry a pessimist, a born loser, a fellow who has no fight in him."
— 1940 September 29, “Letters Reveal Ordeals in France”, in The New York Times, page 12:
"We are becoming as a nation, as a world, indeed, atom-conscious. Many of us are already afflicted with atomphobia, though so far it has manifested itself only in a mirage of autoaeromotive discs and a war of words between chronic optimists and empirical pessimists concerning civilization’s probable future."
— 1947 September 27, Richard R. Werry, “An American Beginning for International Education”, in School and Society, volume 66, number 1709, Lancaster, Pa.: The Society for the Advancement of Education, Inc., page 238:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Because he always expected the worst outcome of his plans, everyone called John a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As a ____, she always expected the worst outcome and was rarely surprised when things went wrong.