Optimist

/ˈɒptɪmɪst/

nounmedium📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

1

A person who is hopeful and confident about the future.

/ˈɒptɪmɪst/

nounpositivemedium
General

A person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future.

He is an optimist who always looks on the bright side of things.

💡 Simply: An optimist is like someone who always sees the glass half full! They believe that good things will happen, even when things are tough. Imagine you're waiting for a pizza, and it's late. An optimist would say, 'It's okay, it'll be delicious when it gets here!'

👶 For kids: Someone who always thinks good things will happen!

More Examples

2

Despite the setbacks, she remained an optimist.

3

As an optimist, he expected the project to be successful.

How It's Used

Psychology

"Optimists are often perceived as more resilient to stress."

General

"Despite the challenges, she remained an optimist."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

glass half full

Describes a person who tends to look on the bright side of things and focus on the positive aspects of a situation.

"She always sees the glass as half full."

silver lining

A consoling or potentially beneficial aspect of a difficult or unpleasant situation.

"The silver lining of the job loss was that she had time to pursue her passion."

From French *optimiste*, from Latin *optimus* ('best'). The word gained popularity in the 18th century through philosophical discussions about the nature of good and evil.

The term 'optimist' gained traction during the Enlightenment, often used in philosophical debates about free will and the nature of good and evil.

Memory tip

Think of the *optimum* outcome - an optimist always looks for the best.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"best"

a true optimistan eternal optimistdie-hard optimistcautious optimistconfirmed optimist

Common misspellings

optomistoptimistic

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written