pessimism
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pessimism
- /ˈpɛsɪmɪzəm/
Where it comes from
From French pessimisme, from Latin pessimus (“worst”) + -ism, superlative of malus (“bad”).
As a doctrine, from German Pessimismus as used by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in 1819.
noun pessimisms
- A general belief that bad things will happen. Bourgeois novels were full of pessimism, their authors had sold out to capitalism and their heroes were mostly thieves, prostitutes, spies, and hooligans.
- The doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds.
- The condition of being pessimal.
Opposite: optimism
Thesaurus
noun
Opposite: optimism
Translations
Every language
noun general belief that bad things will happen
| Español | pesimismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비관 bigwan |
| 日本語 | 悲観 hikan |
| 中文 | 悲觀情緒 /悲观情绪 bēiguān qíngxù |
| हिन्दी | निराशावाद nirāśāvād |
| Português | pessimismo |
| Français | pessimisme |
| Deutsch | Pessimismus |
| Italiano | pessimismo |
| Ελληνικά | απαισιοδοξία apaisiodoxía |
| Română | pesimism |
| Русский | пессими́зм pessimízm |
| Tiếng Việt | bi quan |
| العربية | تَشَاؤُم tašāʔum |
| עברית | פסימיזם, פסימיות |
noun doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds
| 한국어 | 염세주의 yeomsejuui, 비관주의 bigwanjuui, 페시미즘 pesimijeum |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 悲観主義 hikanshugi, 厭世主義 enseishugi, 厭世観 enseikan |
| 中文 | 悲觀主義 /悲观主义 bēiguānzhǔyì |
| Português | pessimismo |
| Français | pessimisme |
| Deutsch | Pessimismus |
| Русский | пессими́зм pessimízm |
| Tiếng Việt | bi quan triết học |
| العربية | تَشَاؤُم tašāʔum |
Talk about this word "pessimism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pessimism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pessimism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pessimism "pessimism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pessimism.Cite this
@misc{pessimism_2026,
title = {pessimism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pessimism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
