Pessoptimist
//pɛsˈɑptɪmɪst// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who possesses elements of both pessimism and optimism.
"The paradoxical view of the dynamics of the situation explains the meaning of the word “pessoptimist,” coined from the partial merger of “optimist” and “pessimist.”"
Example
More examples"The paradoxical view of the dynamics of the situation explains the meaning of the word “pessoptimist,” coined from the partial merger of “optimist” and “pessimist.”"
Etymology
Blend of pessimist + optimist, coined by British translator Trevor LeGassick in his 1985 translation of Emile Habibi's 1974 Arabic-language novel The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.