| Library / English Dictionary |
PESSIMISM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
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)
Sense 2
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)
