

The word pessimistic doesn’t have a nice, neat mnemonic to help you remember its meaning-which is exactly what a pessimistic person would expect. A pessimistic person expects bad things to happen. Remember, an optimistic person expects good things to happen-maybe even an optimal outcome. Optimistic, pessimistic, and their related words are all about different views of the same situation: being optimistic is seeing the glass as half full, and being pessimistic is seeing the glass as half empty. Optimism ultimately comes from the Latin optimus, which means “best” and is the superlative form of the Latin bonus, meaning “good.” The word pessimism was modeled on optimism and is from the Latin pessimus, meaning “worst,” a superlative form of malus, meaning “bad.” What is the difference between optimistic and pessimistic? The words optimism and pessimism are first recorded in the 1700s. Where do optimistic and pessimistic come from? The outlook is good that you’ll learn the difference between rein and reign by visiting this article. A generally pessimistic person expects to lose a coin flip. On a cloudy day, a person who’s being pessimistic might say It’s probably going to rain.
#OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM ESSAY BY PUERTO RICAN AUTHOR FULL#
Our most pessimistic timeline involves finishing the project a full year after the deadline or The estimates proved to be too pessimistic-losses were not nearly as bad as they were expected to be. Just like with optimistic, you can describe outlooks, assessments, plans, and other things as pessimistic, meaning that they indicate pessimism, which is a generally negative outlook-viewing the glass as half empty. Some people might resist being labeled as pessimistic and instead argue that they are simply being realistic-basing their outlook on reality and what they think will actually happen, even if it sounds very negative. If a person is pessimistic in general, they can be called a pessimist. Pessimistic means “taking an unfavorable view of events or conditions and expecting an unfavorable outcome.” A person can be pessimistic about a specific situation, as in I’m pessimistic about our chances- I just don’t think there’s any way for us to win. A generally optimistic person expects to win a coin flip. On a cloudy day, a person who’s being optimistic might say At least it hasn’t rained yet-and maybe it won’t rain at all. For example, you might say, Our most optimistic timeline involves finishing the project in just three months or The estimates proved to be too optimistic-profits were only half of what they were expected to be. Optimism is a generally positive outlook-viewing the glass as half full. Plans, views, and other things can be described as optimistic to indicate that they reflect optimism. A person can also be generally optimistic, as part of their personality-they’re always looking on the bright side and expecting things to work out for the best. Optimistic means “taking a favorable view of events or conditions and expecting the most favorable outcome.”Ī person can be optimistic about a particular situation, as in I’m feeling optimistic about my chances of getting this job. Pessimistic means the opposite: expecting a situation to turn out in a bad way or being a pessimist-always expecting the worst. If you’re generally optimistic, you’re an optimist-you tend to look at things favorably. To be optimistic about a situation is to expect it to turn out in a good way. We might even help you recognize if you’re an optimist or a pessimist. In this article, we’ll define both words-as well as the related nouns optimism, optimist, pessimism, and pessimist-and provide examples to help you remember the difference. Glass half full, or glass half empty? Looking on the bright side, or expecting the worst? Rose-colored glasses, or Murphy’s law? The words optimistic and pessimistic are opposites used in the context of people’s general outlooks or their sense of whether a situation will turn out positively or negatively.
