pessimism

American  

[pes-uh-miz-uhm] / ˈpɛs əˌmɪz əm /

noun

1. the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc..

   His pessimism about the future of our country depresses me.

2. the doctrine that the existing world is the worst of all possible worlds, or that all things naturally tend to evil.

3. the belief that the evil and pain in the world are not compensated for by goodness and happiness.

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pessimism British  

/ ˈpɛsɪˌmɪzəm /

noun

1. the tendency to expect the worst and see the worst in all things

2. the doctrine of the ultimate triumph of evil over good

3. the doctrine that this world is corrupt and that man's sojourn in it is a preparation for some other existence

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Other Word Forms

• overpessimism noun
• pessimist noun
• pessimistic adjective
• pessimistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pessimism

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin pessim(us) “worst” (suppletive superlative of malus “bad”) + -ism; modeled on optimism ( def. )

Example Sentences

The stock has been knocked to an earnings multiple that is almost 30% below its historical average, because of what Cyprys says is unwarranted pessimism about private equity and credit.

From Barron's

Consumer views on the economy continue “to skew toward pessimism,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board, the publisher of the consumer confidence index.

From MarketWatch

The question for investors is: are we at peak pessimism?

From Barron's

The result is lower life expectancy, more illness, social isolation and overall pessimism about our society.

From Salon

It's an imperfect science but the basic idea to reach the net confidence number is the optimism score minus the pessimism score.

From BBC

Related Words

• cynicism
• despair
• distrust
• gloom
• grief
• hopelessness
• melancholy
• sadness
• unhappiness