| 释义 |
pes·si·mism
\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 |