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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pessimism
The most common reason for this pessimism was fear that the PKK itself might sabotage the process.
—
Alpaslan Ozerdem, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet the transfer deadline was accompanied by a tone of understandable pessimism among fans that has rarely been seen on Fosun’s watch.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The pessimism is mirrored in labor market realities.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Alpaslan Ozerdem, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Yet the transfer deadline was accompanied by a tone of understandable pessimism among fans that has rarely been seen on Fosun’s watch.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The pessimism is mirrored in labor market realities.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But between the copy-paste pessimism and lovesick mumbling, there’s a handful of artists on the edge of the underground rewiring guitars in inventive ways.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pessimism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pessimism
Noun
-
But before long his hearing begins to disappear, leading him down a panicked trail of denial, anger and desperation.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Irish have scored four total touchdowns in the past two games against Elko, which included that desperation run by Audric Estime at Duke two years ago.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Frustration can push us to solve problems, sadness can deepen your appreciation for joy and worry can sometimes sharpen your focus.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
But sadness, anxiety, anger and frustration can be channeled into actions such as becoming involved in activism and volunteering to help the survivors and society at large.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Much of the country was in despair then as the Great Recession rolled on.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Columnist Nancy Armour knows all about Bears despair.—
Chris Bumbaca,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
View each period of pain, sorrow, and struggle as a natural precursor to your inevitable growth.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Similarly, fellow country artists such as the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill expressed their sorrow over his passing.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet behind the gloom, the money hasn’t stopped flowing.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Women and older shoppers were more likely to feel doom and gloom, Schwartz said.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In these homes, the conflict between budgeting and feeding kids well creates huge psychological stress for parents, which can lead to anxiety and depression, fueling the vicious cycle of stress and unhealthy eating, Beresin said.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, the Brit had been open about his struggles with alcohol, drugs and depression.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Excuse the cynicism, but this is the sort of combination of touchy-feely button-pushing and self-conscious peculiarity that’s meant to seem significant and profound that will bring out your inner rom-com Grinch.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Employees notice the waves of shiny experiments that come and go (with no momentum), and cynicism creeps in.—
Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The result is a film that glimmers with moments of wit and melancholy but never settles into coherence.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The film is a series of character studies, quiet, observational and non-judgmental – a comedy, but interwoven with threads of melancholy.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pessimism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pessimism. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share