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. )

Explanation

Pessimism means thinking the worst. It's the opposite of optimism, which means assuming the best. Most people feel that too much pessimism is paralyzing — who will ever try anything if they are always sure they will fail? Pessimism comes in two flavors. With one, you feel that something bad will happen. You feel pessimistic about the geometry final. How will you pass it? Pessimism is also the tendency to expect the worst in everything. A pessimist in love is a person sure that there must be something wrong with the person to love them back. A pessimist on an airplane is sure the plane is missing some essential part that won't be noticed until it plummets from the sky. Can pessimism be fun? Not really ever.

Example Sentences

Even in the face of continued pessimism from energy analysts, transportation exports, and geopolitical strategists, stocks rose on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

This zone of extreme pessimism is denoted by the shaded area at the bottom of the chart above.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

March’s nearly 10% decline pushed sentiment to extreme pessimism.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

If debate now mirrors this public caution, that may be less a sign of unhealthy pessimism than of public prudence shaped by experience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

Now they were demanding monthly and even fortnightly reports, and pestered him constantly about the wisdom of his pessimism.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

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