What's the difference between optimist and pessimist?

Optimist


Definition:

  • (n.) One who holds the opinion that all events are ordered for the best.
  • (n.) One who looks on the bright side of things, or takes hopeful views; -- opposed to pessimist.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Johnson and Campion are optimistic that marriage equality will win out, and soon.
  • (2) Two years ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared Egypt's Nile Delta to be among the top three areas on the planet most vulnerable to a rise in sea levels, and even the most optimistic predictions of global temperature increase will still displace millions of Egyptians from one of the most densely populated regions on earth.
  • (3) Even under the most optimistic scenarios, shale gas is projected to meet just 10% of European gas demand by 2030.
  • (4) I have the optimist's world view of America as a tolerant place, where anyone can grow up to be the President.
  • (5) He says there are many optimistic tales to tell – migrant families, he says, are helping to drive up standards in local schools – but such stories tend to get lost in an online world that has precious little interest in them.
  • (6) All I wanted to know was that this was not a hereditary disease – partly, I suppose, because I was so young and carefree and optimistic.
  • (7) I was optimistic that I could leave behind my reputation as the nerdy one of my friends.
  • (8) The new Poles are generally optimistic and open-minded, believing their destiny to be in their own hands, that Poland shouldn't be prisoner to its past and that the future waxes bright for their country.
  • (9) The Bank of England has a record of being over-optimistic about Britain's prospects and in its latest assessment of the economy once again cut its growth forecast.
  • (10) Excessively optimistic judgements of driving competency and accident risk have often been implicated in the disproportionate involvement of young males in traffic crashes.
  • (11) I would urge her to follow the example of Elizabeth I, who, on appointing as her chief minister Sir William Cecil, said of him: “This opinion I have of you: that whatever you know my personal opinion to be, you will give me advice that is best for the realm.” Valerie Crews Beckenham, Kent • Another immensely qualified person loses their job for not being optimistic enough about Brexit.
  • (12) English speakers are the least optimistic about the chances of avoiding dangerous climate change Out of more than 6,000 self-selecting respondents, many expressed dismay at the slow pace of political action on climate change.
  • (13) Both brothers had been in optimistic mood earlier in the day.
  • (14) Arsène Wenger said he hopes the midfielder will return in four weeks and, “if all goes well, three”, but the estimate is believed to be optimistic.
  • (15) The optimists, not the least of whom are the British, believe that the summit is a starting point on which to build.
  • (16) "We'd have preferred that, in addition to these increases, we had seen our market share grow overall this quarter but we are optimistic that some of the sector's major rebranding campaigns and marketing initiatives will start taking effect in results this year."
  • (17) The most optimistic of them sees a fall by 2030, but this would require huge investments in renewable energy as well as financial and technical support from overseas.
  • (18) Jints fans, suddenly optimistic about their postseason chances, forgot how bad their team was over the fortnight - today they are being reminded.
  • (19) Reagan's youthful hero was FDR – another optimist, albeit a far steelier one –  who turned the federal government into the agent of recovery from the Great Depression and of victory in World War II.
  • (20) A recent National Audit Office study pinpointed these precisely: the DWP’s approach, it finds, is too rigid; its policy assumptions tend to be untested and over-optimistic; strategically, it fails to anticipate uncertainty (specifically, the possibility of failure); it neglects to monitor progress, so does not notice when things go wrong until far too late.

Pessimist


Definition:

  • (n.) One who advocates the doctrine of pessimism; -- opposed to optimist.
  • (n.) One who looks on the dark side of things.
  • (a.) Alt. of Pessimistic

Example Sentences:

  • (1) A rather pessimistic wind is blowing over cancer chemotherapy, while a not very objective enthusiasm for second generation immunotherapy is raising its head.
  • (2) We challenge this pessimistic approach, and describe here our experience with seven patients with solid tumors, in whom pericardial effusion was diagnosed; one of them is described in detail.
  • (3) Verbally abused children were more angry and more pessimistic about their future.
  • (4) Has recently sounded pessimistic about the prospects for a full post-Copenhagen treaty: "You should not have too many expectations."
  • (5) Two groups, one institutionalized and the other noninstitutionalized but without formal activities, were described as being disengaged: e.g., withdrawn socially, self-absorbed, as well as powerless, pessimistic, and depressed.
  • (6) It is concluded that the heretofore pessimistic outlook regarding complete quadriplegia is unwarranted and that a more aggressive approach may result in a better functional outcome.
  • (7) "What our study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs – that a 'glass half full' dog is less likely to be anxious when left alone than one with a more 'pessimistic' nature."
  • (8) "It's like watching a bullfight," says one Conservative backbench pessimist.
  • (9) The agency hopes it can later extend the work to urban rivers outside London, but is pessimistic that parts of the Fleet might one day be released to public view.
  • (10) It is a totally unrealistic, pessimistic vision about what this country can achieve."
  • (11) Rehabilitation of patients with chronic respiratory disease has tended to be neglected in the past, partly because of a generally pessimistic view of their prospects.
  • (12) Another important factor is the lack of motivation shown by attending physicians to detect less obvious cases of alcohol dependence as they feel pessimistic about dealing with this condition.
  • (13) Predictions based on very early assessment are, therefore, often unduly pessimistic.
  • (14) If we’re being pessimistic about it, the whole idea of the euro has been weakened and maybe we’ll look back and see this as the beginning of the end of that ideal.” She reflected a pessimistic feeling among Germans, whether financial experts or ordinary folk on the street, that the whole of Europe had taken a battering over the negotiations, one from which it would take time to recover; and the strong belief that the very same politicians would once again find themselves in a huddle over the same issue a few months down the line.
  • (15) A substantial number of people who start small businesses have no qualifications beyond secondary school, he says, and, worse, may have no technical or business management training Peter Strong, of the Small Business Association , is less pessimistic.
  • (16) The estimated overall risk difference remained negative even when all patients in the sclerotherapy group with an unknown survival status were pessimistically considered dead at the end of the follow-up period.
  • (17) In the pessimistic case, UK income falls by 3.1%, or £50bn a year.” More business leaders lined up on Thursday to voice their concerns that the UK economy will be a significant casualty of a decision to leave the EU, including Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of the advertising firm WPP.
  • (18) It is a measure of how pessimistic the MPC has become that even a one percentage point lowering in the assumed policy rate profile was deemed insufficient to offset the bad news on demand.
  • (19) The only thing maintaining the flow of migrants is that nobody reads the Daily Mail until they arrive, and only then do they realise how coarse and brutal our politics have become, how pessimistic.
  • (20) Women and more pessimistic parents were more distressed.