# pessimism

/ˈpɛsəˌmɪzəm/ (US) · /pˈɛsɪmˌɪzəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pessimism
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. negative outlook

noun · CEFR B2

a general feeling that bad things will happen or that a situation will not be successful.

For teachers: a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future.

- Despite the bad news, he tried not to let his pessimism affect the rest of the team.
- The prevailing economic pessimism has led many investors to withdraw their capital from emerging markets in favor of more stable assets.

### 2. philosophical doctrine

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

the philosophical idea that this world is as bad as it can possibly be.

For teachers: the doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds, or that all things tend toward evil.

- In his essays, the writer explored a deep sense of philosophical pessimism regarding human nature.
- Schopenhauer is perhaps the most famous proponent of philosophical pessimism, arguing that existence is inherently characterized by suffering.

### 3. worst-case state

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the state of being in the worst possible condition.

For teachers: the condition of being pessimal or at the lowest possible point of efficiency or quality.

- The algorithm reached a state of pessimism where no further processing could improve the result.
- Engineers analyzed the system's pessimism to determine why the software was performing at its theoretical minimum speed.

## Examples

- The system uses pessimism to prevent data loss.
- By adopting a pessimism approach, the software ensures that even if one server fails, the network remains fully operational.
- The architect argued that a pessimism strategy was essential for the cloud infrastructure, as it accounted for potential hardware failures and network latency without requiring constant manual intervention.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.