Optimistic and Pessimistic

Opposite meaning words

Optimistic adjective - Having qualities which inspire hope.

Usage example: the economic predictions for the coming year are actually quite optimistic

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Pessimistic adjective - Emphasizing or expecting the worst.

Usage example: with that pessimistic attitude, it's no wonder you're depressed

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Optimistic is an antonym for pessimistic in topics: gloomy, expecting bad outcome.

Nearby Words: pessimism, pessimist

The Simcity expansion Cities of Tomorrow allows the player to develop cities according to either an optimistic or pessimistic view of the future, or some combination of the two.

Source: Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty
The American Dream: Cycles between optimistic and pessimistic depending on the economy and general state of the union, as well as the racial and/or socioeconomic background of the writer.

Source: Cyclic Trope
Taylor's outlook on religion comes up rarely, as in canon... but her outlook is cautiously optimistic instead of indifferent or pessimistic.

Source: Fan Fic / Cenotaph

Cite this Source

Pessimistic and Optimistic. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/optimistic/pessimistic

Optimistic & Pessimistic. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/optimistic/pessimistic>.

Pessimistic or Optimistic. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/optimistic/pessimistic.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "optimistic" and "pessimistic" have occurred on timeline