optimistic

adjective

ˌäp-tə-ˈmi-stik How to pronounce optimistic (audio)
Definition of optimisticnext
as in promising
having qualities which inspire hope the economic predictions for the coming year are actually quite optimistic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of optimistic Whole Goldman may be more optimistic, the bank continues to carry an overweight recommendation for cash, and is underweight credit and neutral duration. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 A little more than twenty years earlier, Berryman had assessed Shakespeare’s prospects at thirty in optimistic terms. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026 Edwards struck an optimistic note about the potential for a different outcome. — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Competing eVTOL manufacturers such as Eve Air Mobility and Joby Aviation share the same issues, along with a history of overly optimistic forecasts about securing regulatory approval. — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for optimistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optimistic
  1. promising
  2. bright
  3. hopeful
Adjective
  • According to the team, lab tests have already shown promising results.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Monday morning is not exactly prime time for dealership traffic, but a handful of prospective customers were in the showroom, which is a promising sign.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of promising
Adjective
  • An exuberant pre-dawn sky — filled with large, bright stars, a luminous crescent moon, and blue and white swirls — dominates the landscape featuring a prominent cypress tree and distant hillside village.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the only picture mode that comes close to being that bright also has a notably green bias and ramps up the fan noise to a level that almost anyone will consider intolerable.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of bright
Adjective
  • For those unfamiliar with Fielder’s career or filmmaking approach, his assent to award season hopeful — even frontrunner — has felt like welcoming a strange alien to a planet inhabited by the slick Hollywood establishment.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • By the end, the stage had transformed into a portrait of renewal — a reminder that, even after tragedy, something hopeful can grow.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopeful

Browse Nearby Words

optimist
optimistic
optimistically
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Optimistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optimistic. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All