PESSIMISM

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does pessimism mean? 

• PESSIMISM (noun)
  The noun PESSIMISM has 2 senses:

1. the feeling that things will turn out badly

2. a general disposition to look on the dark side and to expect the worst in all things

  Familiarity information: PESSIMISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PESSIMISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The feeling that things will turn out badly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("pessimism" is a kind of...):

despair (the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pessimism"):

cynicism (a cynical feeling of distrust)

Antonym:

optimism (the optimistic feeling that all is going to turn out well)

Derivation:

pessimist (a person who expects the worst)

pessimistic (expecting the worst possible outcome)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A general disposition to look on the dark side and to expect the worst in all things

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("pessimism" is a kind of...):

disposition; temperament (your usual mood)

Antonym:

optimism (a general disposition to expect the best in all things)

Derivation:

pessimist (a person who expects the worst)

pessimistic (expecting the worst possible outcome)

 Context examples 

Is not this pessimism of the blackest?

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

As he had read pessimism into Omar, so now he read triumph, stinging triumph and exultation, into Swinburne’s lines.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)