as in desperation
a feeling or belief that bad things will happen in the future; a feeling or belief that what you hope for will not happen
She has expressed pessimism over the outcome of the trial. Although the economy shows signs of improving, a sense of pessimism remains. He expressed his pessimism about politics and politicians.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pessimism
The scale of pessimism echoed an annual survey of U.S. companies in China released in late January that showed a record share of American businesses were accelerating plans to relocate manufacturing or sourcing.
—
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 May 2025
Several factors contribute to our current pessimism regarding the stock.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Surveys suggest that consumers also have turned much more downbeat about the outlook, fueling concern that this pessimism will eventually translate to less spending.
—Colby Smith, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The uncertainty has already shown up in surveys of consumers, which say pessimism is shooting higher about where the economy heading.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 May 2025
Several factors contribute to our current pessimism regarding the stock.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
Surveys suggest that consumers also have turned much more downbeat about the outlook, fueling concern that this pessimism will eventually translate to less spending.
—Colby Smith, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The uncertainty has already shown up in surveys of consumers, which say pessimism is shooting higher about where the economy heading.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism
Noun
-
Years of economic dysfunction have left the country’s once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
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Based on Spoelstra’s success in driving the Heat to and through the playoffs, nothing dramatic needed here, certainly nothing like the Knicks’ act of desperation with Thibodeau.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Almost two decades later, his family — who spent years grappling with unanswered questions that only fueled their fear and despair — finally learned what happened to him.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
13 June 2025
-
My Guard’s presence tamped down potentially dangerous outbursts of anger and despair.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
To date, the Facebook post about her story has garnered more than 19,000 reactions, sparking a wave of sorrow and outrage from animal lovers across the country.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
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Prefaced by a host of personal disasters—the death of her mother’s onetime partner Mary Norcross, her own hospitalization for digestive problems, her mother’s painful shingles and neuralgia—the decade of the 1940s brought sorrow.—
Susan Gubar
June 9,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Not all ‘doom and gloom’ Nevertheless, the global business travel market is still on track to top $1.6 trillion by the end of 2025, Neufang said.—
Monica Pitrelli,
CNBC,
29 May 2025
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The film is quite handsome, full of woodsy earth tones and dark clothing, without any bright colors to get in the way of the meditative gloom.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
Over time, the nearly circular 75-mile-wide (120 kilometers) depression has been eroded by water and ice, enlarging it to nearly twice its initial size.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
6 June 2025
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Young caregivers report more depression, anxiety, and stress than their peers.—
Leah Fabel,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
That’s the job Lucy has, that’s where the cynicism is from.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
-
And yet Ranga lives life without a trace of cynicism or resentment, but rather with childlike wonder and excitement.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
That betrayal, like so many others, fed the melancholy in Brian's music.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
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With melancholy and playfulness both, Seed threads in her own introspective voice-over and contemporary footage (poring over material, visiting her dad, sparring with a boyfriend).—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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