PESSIMISTIC: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for PESSIMISTIC?

Need another word that means the same as “pessimistic”? Find 22 synonyms and 30 related words for “pessimistic” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Pessimistic” are: gloomy, negative, defeatist, downbeat, cynical, bleak, fatalistic, dark, black, despairing, despondent, depressed, dejected, demoralized, hopeless, melancholy, glum, lugubrious, suspicious, distrustful, doubting, alarmist

Pessimistic as an Adjective

Definitions of "Pessimistic" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “pessimistic” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Expecting the worst possible outcome.
• Tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.

Synonyms of "Pessimistic" as an adjective (22 Words)

alarmist	Creating needless worry or panic. Alarmist rumours.
black	Of the face made black especially as with suffused blood. Black looks.
bleak	(of the weather) cold and miserable. A bleak midwinter s day.
cynical	Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity. A cynical manipulation of public opinion.
dark	Of a person having dark skin hair or eyes. Dark glasses.
defeatist	Demonstrating expectation or acceptance of failure. We have a duty not to be so defeatist.
dejected	Sad and depressed; dispirited. Is dejected but trying to look cheerful.
demoralized	Having lost confidence or hope; disheartened. A weak and demoralized president.
depressed	(of a person) suffering from clinical depression. She felt lonely and depressed.
despairing	Arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope. He gave a despairing little shrug.
despondent	Without or almost without hope. Despondent about his failure.
distrustful	Feeling or showing distrust of someone or something. My experience in other fields of law has made me distrustful of rules of thumb generally.
doubting	Marked by or given to doubt. People look at it through doubting eyes.
downbeat	Relaxed and understated. The assessment of the UK s economic prospects is downbeat.
fatalistic	Relating to or characteristic of the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. He gives a fatalistic shrug at the bleak future.
gloomy	Filled with melancholy and despondency. A gloomy corridor badly lit by oil lamps.
glum	Showing a brooding ill humor. A glum hopeless shrug.
hopeless	Certain to fail. In an agony of hopeless grief.
lugubrious	Looking or sounding sad and dismal. His face looked even more lugubrious than usual.
melancholy	Having a feeling of melancholy sad and pensive. She felt a little melancholy.
negative	Having a negative charge. Negative criticism.
suspicious	Having the belief or impression that someone is involved in an illegal or dishonest activity. She gave him a suspicious look.

Usage Examples of "Pessimistic" as an adjective

• He was pessimistic about the prospects.

Associations of "Pessimistic" (30 Words)

abstinent	Self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink. The patients are best advised to be totally abstinent from alcohol.
alcoholic	Addicted to alcohol- Carl Van Doren. Alcoholic liver disease.
ban	100 bani equal 1 leu in Moldova. Parking is banned around the harbour in summer.
banned	Forbidden by law.
bleak	Providing no shelter or sustenance. A bleak and barren moor.
contraband	Goods that have been imported or exported illegally. The salt trade and contraband in it were very active in the town.
defiance	Intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude. An act of defiance.
dejected	Affected or marked by low spirits. He stood in the street looking dejected.
depressed	Filled with melancholy and despondency. A depressed fracture of the skull.
despondent	In low spirits from loss of hope or courage. She grew more and more despondent.
disallow	Refuse to declare valid. He was offside and the goal was disallowed.
disconsolate	Causing dejection. A disconsolate winter landscape.
discouraged	Lacking in resolution. He must be feeling pretty discouraged.
forbid	Refuse entry to a place or area. I can see why phones were forbidden.
forbidden	Denoting or involving a transition between two quantum-mechanical states that does not conform to some selection rule, especially for electric dipole radiation. A list of forbidden books.
gloomy	Dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening. A dark gloomy day.
hopeless	(informal to emphasize how bad it is) beyond hope of management or reform. Jess looked at him in mute hopeless appeal.
illegalize	Declare illegal; outlaw.
impermissible	Not permitted. Impermissible behavior.
interdict	Intercept and prevent the movement of (a prohibited commodity or person. A papal interdict.
interdiction	The action of intercepting and preventing the movement of a prohibited commodity or person. Drug interdiction operations.
prohibit	Formally forbid someone from doing something. He is prohibited from becoming a director.
prohibition	Refusal to approve or assent to. They argue that prohibition of drugs will always fail.
prohibitionist	A reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages.
prohibitory	Tending to discourage (especially of prices.
proscribe	Forbid, especially by law. Strikes remained proscribed in the armed forces.
proscription	A decree that prohibits something. The proscription of the party after the 1715 Rebellion.
taboo	Place under a taboo. Traditional societies taboo female handling of food during this period.
unauthorized	Without official authorization. An unauthorized strike.
veto	A rejection by right of veto. Mother vetoed the trip to the chocolate store.