sanguine en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈsæŋ.ɡwɪn/ without æ-raising
- /ˈseɪ̯ŋ.ɡwɪn/ æ-raising
- (California) audio
Etymology
From Middle English sanguine, from Old French sanguin, ultimately from Latin sanguineus (“of blood”), from sanguis (“blood”) (of uncertain origin, but probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₁sh₂-én-, from *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”), with an obscure suffix such as *-ǵʰ- (related to body parts)) + -inus + -eus. The obsolete medical sense is in reference to the humour (blood) which ancient Hippocratic and later Galenic medicine associated with cheerfulness, optimism, confidence, liveliness, and spiritedness. Doublet of sanguineous.
Meanings
- (literary) Having the colour of blood; blood red.
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(obsolete) Having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours, thought to be marked by irresponsible mirth; indulgent in pleasure to the exclusion of important matters.
What, what, ye sanguine, shallow-hearted boys!
c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:I'll be no longer guilty of this sin; this sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horse-back-breaker, this huge hill of flesh.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:
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Characterized by abundance and active circulation of blood.
Eleonore Lemindre, aged 34, tailoress, of a sanguine lymphatic temperament, having suffered great depression of spirits, experienced, in the course of 1820, symptoms of what is called disease of the heart.
1833, R. J. Bertin, translated by Charles W. Chauncy, Treatise on the Diseases of the Heart, and Great Vessels, Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blnachard, page 188:a sanguine bodily temperament
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Warm; ardent.
a sanguine temper
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Anticipating the best; optimistic; confident; full of hope.
I'm sanguine about the eventual success of the project.
Mrs. Weston was exceedingly disappointed—much more disappointed, in fact, than her husband, though her dependence on seeing the young man had been so much more sober: but a sanguine temper, though for ever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression. It soon flies over the present failure, and begins to hope again.
1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, pages 306–307:When the railway was opened on August 2, 1897, it was expected that Cruden Bay, on the Aberdeenshire coast, would develop into a popular holiday resort, but this sanguine forecast was never fully realised.
1949 May and June, “Notes and News: Closing of Boddam Branch”, in Railway Magazine, page 203:Maybe it was hormones, or the immersion of parenting a newborn, or a new appreciation for what my body could do, but I felt surprisingly sanguine about my wobbly physical state.
2022 February 2, Charlotte Cowles, “Can ‘Body Neutrality’ Change the Way You Work Out?”, in The New York Times:The plan was not feasible, for making a ninety-degree turn would have been impossible without nickel-alloy swivels inserted in the small of every man's back, and Lieutenant Scheisskopf was not sanguine at all about obtaining that many nickel-alloy swivels from Quartermaster or enlisting the cooperation of the surgeons at the hospital.
1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “McWatt”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page page:It was clear that Dr. Gwynne was not very sanguine as to the effects of his journey to Barchester, and not over anxious to interfere with the bishop.
1857, Anthony Trollope, “The Master and Tutor of Lazarus”, in Barchester Towers. […], copyright edition, volume II, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, published 1859, →OCLC, page 101:
- (archaic) Full of blood; bloody.
- (archaic) Bloodthirsty.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most sanguine | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more sanguine | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
blue · gloomy · despondent · pessimistic
Deriveds
nonsanguine · serosanguine · sanguinity · ultrasanguine · sanguinism · sanguinely · oversanguine · sanguineocholeric · sanguineobilious · unsanguine · sanguineness · sanguineophlegmatic
Relateds
exsanguine · sanguinity · sanguinous · consanguine · sanguinously · sanguinary
Synonyms
homicidal · sanguinolent · hopeful · bright · gory · incarnadine · upbeat · cheery · bloodlusty · animated · optimistic · assured · ridibund · bloodied · cheerful · sybaritic · murderous · confident · buoyant · bullish · positive · spirited · debaucherous
Translations (69)
is blóðrauður (having the colour of blood; red) · pl krwawoczerwony (having the colour of blood; red) · hu reményteljes (anticipating the best) · cmn 血红 (having the colour of blood; red) · cs optimistický (anticipating the best) · ro sangvin (characterized by abundance and active circulation of blood) · nn sangvinsk (anticipating the best) · ga dóchasach (anticipating the best) · cs rudý (having the colour of blood; red) · es sanguino (having the colour of blood; red) · nb sangvinsk (anticipating the best) · sv förtröstansfull (anticipating the best) · hu vérmes (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · it sanguigno (warm; ardent) · it confidente (anticipating the best) · tr iyimser (anticipating the best) · bg сангвиничен (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · tr kan rengi (having the colour of blood; red) · bg оптимистичен (anticipating the best) · pt sanguíneo (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · sv blodröd (having the colour of blood; red) · cs krvavě rudý (having the colour of blood; red) · hu bizakodó (anticipating the best) · pl krwistoczerwony (having the colour of blood; red) · tr kırmızı (having the colour of blood; red) · hu szangvinikus (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · es sanguíneo (characterized by abundance and active circulation of blood) · sv sangvinisk (warm; ardent) · pt sanguíneo (having the colour of blood; red) · it sanguigno (having the colour of blood; red) · de blutrot (having the colour of blood; red) · fi verenpunainen (having the colour of blood; red) · ga aigeanta (anticipating the best) · ga dearfach (anticipating the best) · fi toiveikas (anticipating the best) · hi रक्ताभ (having the colour of blood; red) · bg пълнокръвен (characterized by abundance and active circulation of blood) · da sangvinsk (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · cs sangvinický (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · ga fola (having the colour of blood; red) · pl optymistyczny (anticipating the best) · sv sangvinisk (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · sv sangvinisk (anticipating the best) · tr candan (warm; ardent) · sv hoppfull (anticipating the best) · ru оптимистичный (anticipating the best) · uk сангвінік (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · ga fola (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · it ottimista (anticipating the best) · cs horkokrevný (warm; ardent) · es sanguíneo (warm; ardent) · ru кроваво-красный (having the colour of blood; red) · sv optimistisk (anticipating the best) · nb sangvinsk (warm; ardent) · no optimistisk (anticipating the best) · es sanguíneo (having the colour of blood; red) · ru жизнерадостный (anticipating the best) · cs živý (warm; ardent) · bg кървавочервен (having the colour of blood; red) · nn sangvinsk (warm; ardent) · nl bloedrood (having the colour of blood; red) · hu reményteli (anticipating the best) · nl rood (having the colour of blood; red) · hu derűlátó (anticipating the best) · tr sıcak (warm; ardent) · cs vznětlivý (warm; ardent) · hu heves (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours) · hu vérvörös (having the colour of blood; red) · hu hevülékeny (having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours)