ˈpesəˌmizəm, ˈpez- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French pessimisme inclination to put the least favorable construction on actions and happenings, from Latin pessimus + French -isme -ism — more at pejorative
1. : the worst possible or conceivable state
an age when public criticism is … at the very point of pessimism — Robert Southey
2. : an inclination to put the least favorable construction on actions and happenings, to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities, or to anticipate the worst possible outcome
the pessimism with which some of us view the prospect of establishing … brotherhood among the human race — Elmer Davis
3.
a. : the philosophical doctrine or opinion that reality is essentially evil, completely evil, or as evil as it conceivably can be
b. : the philosophical doctrine that the evils of life overbalance the happiness it affords and that life is preponderantly evil — compare optimism