English Reference

Idiom

negative Nancy

Meaning

A person who is considered excessively and disagreeably pessimistic.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples

“Don't be such a negative Nancy about the party.”

“Every time we suggest a new project, he acts like a negative Nancy and complains about the risks.”

“While the team brainstormed innovative solutions, the negative Nancy in the room consistently dismissed every idea as destined for failure.”

Examples

simple

“Don't be such a negative Nancy about the party.”

contextual

“Every time we suggest a new project, he acts like a negative Nancy and complains about the risks.”

complex

“While the team brainstormed innovative solutions, the negative Nancy in the room consistently dismissed every idea as destined for failure.”

Key words

This entry

Updated
English Reference