optimist

noun

Definition of optimistnext
as in dreamer
a person who usually expects good things to happen You have to be a bit of an optimist to start a business. Somehow he remained an optimist despite all that had happened to him.

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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 optimist An optimist may see this as a cycle, whereby there’s rotation at the top and the status quo will shift. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Now the rot is right there on the surface; the people smiling are less likely to be clueless optimists than the people who are happy about the rot, or profiting from it. — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026 That gloom extends far beyond assessments of the current time period; the Post/Ipsos poll found that 59% of Americans doubt their family's ability to improve their standard of living, outnumbering optimists by nearly 20 points. — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 29 July 2026 Finally, of course, there are the ambitious optimists, people betting that fresh leadership will shake CNN out of it slumber (and give themselves a high-profile role to help achieve those goals). — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for optimist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optimist
dreamer
Noun
  • San Francisco Playhouse is currently presenting the musical, helmed by company artistic director Bill English (with Phaedra Tillery-Boughton credited as associate director) and starring Ella Ruth Francis as the indefatigable dreamer Tracy Turnblad.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Dolly also opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent.
    — Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of dreamer

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Cite this Entry

“Optimist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optimist. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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