pessimism en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈpɛsɪmɪzəm/
Etymology
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.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) 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.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 122:T2 isn’t as good as T1: it is a little too long and unwinds a bit into caper sentimentality, broad comedy and self-mythologising. But it has the same punchy energy, the same defiant pessimism, and there’s nothing around like it. This sequel was a high-wire act, but Boyle has made it to the other side.
2017 January 19, Peter Bradshaw, “T2 Trainspotting review – choose a sequel that doesn't disappoint”, in The Guardian:
- (uncountable, usually) The doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds.
- (uncountable, usually) The condition of being pessimal.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pessimisms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
cultural pessimism · heteropessimism · technopessimism · Judeopessimism · cyberpessimism · ecopessimism · Europessimism · Afro-pessimism · overpessimism
Relateds
Translations (79)
vi bi quan triết học (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ca pessimisme (general belief that bad things will happen) · cmn 悲觀主義 /悲观主义 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · hu pesszimizmus (general belief that bad things will happen) · sh pesimìzam (general belief that bad things will happen) · pl pesymizm (general belief that bad things will happen) · vo badim (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · gl pesimismo (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · es pesimismo (general belief that bad things will happen) · kk үмітсіздік (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ru пессими́зм (general belief that bad things will happen) · ka პესიმიზმი (general belief that bad things will happen) · mi hākerekeretanga (general belief that bad things will happen) · fr pessimisme (general belief that bad things will happen) · de Pessimismus (general belief that bad things will happen) · pt pessimismo (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · vo badim (general belief that bad things will happen) · ko 염세주의 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · he פסימיות (general belief that bad things will happen) · ko 비관 (general belief that bad things will happen) · th ทุทรรศนนิยม (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ar تَشَاؤُم (general belief that bad things will happen) · fi pessimismi (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · hu pesszimizmus (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ja 悲観 (general belief that bad things will happen) · hi निराशावाद (general belief that bad things will happen) · th ทุนิยม (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · hy հոռետեսություն (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ja 悲観主義 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · id pesimisme (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · fi pessimismi (general belief that bad things will happen) · cs škarohlídství (general belief that bad things will happen) · gl pesimismo (general belief that bad things will happen) · sh песимѝзам (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · tr pesimistlik (general belief that bad things will happen) · ko 페시미즘 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · uk песимі́зм (general belief that bad things will happen) · fa بدبینی (general belief that bad things will happen) · hy հոռետեսություն (general belief that bad things will happen) · ar تَشَاؤُم (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · cs pesimismus (general belief that bad things will happen) · it pessimismo (general belief that bad things will happen) · el απαισιοδοξία (general belief that bad things will happen) · kk пессимизм (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ko 비관주의 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · de Pessimismus (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ru пессими́зм (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · hu borúlátás (general belief that bad things will happen) · tr kötümserlik (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · tr pesimizm (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · be песімі́зм (general belief that bad things will happen) · ja 厭世主義 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ja 厭世観 (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · sh pesimìzam (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · sv svartsyn (general belief that bad things will happen) · he פסימיזם (general belief that bad things will happen) · cmn 悲觀情緒 /悲观情绪 (general belief that bad things will happen) · tr karamsarlık (general belief that bad things will happen) · bg песими́зъм (general belief that bad things will happen) · eu ezkortasun (general belief that bad things will happen) · ca pessimisme (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · id pesimisme (general belief that bad things will happen) · tr kötümserlik (general belief that bad things will happen) · tr karamsarlık (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · mi ngākau hākerekere (general belief that bad things will happen) · khb ᦣᧆᦋᦲᧁ (general belief that bad things will happen) · vi bi quan (general belief that bad things will happen) · pt pessimismo (general belief that bad things will happen) · sv pessimism (general belief that bad things will happen) · nl pessimisme (general belief that bad things will happen) · sh песимѝзам (general belief that bad things will happen) · fr pessimisme (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · mk песимизам (general belief that bad things will happen) · tr pesimizm (general belief that bad things will happen) · ro pesimism (general belief that bad things will happen) · bn নৈরাশ্যবাদ (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ml നൈരാശ്യവാദം (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · ta இழநம்பிக்கை (doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds) · sq humbashpresë (general belief that bad things will happen)