noun · neutral
optimism
UK/ˈɒptɪmɪzəm/US/ˈɑːptɪmɪzəm/OP·ti·mism
A tendency to expect the best possible outcome or to emphasize the positive.
Examples
“A little optimism can help students tackle difficult exams without panicking.”
“Her optimism about the economy surprised the pessimists in the room.”
“Maintaining optimism during a long job search is challenging but useful.”
Band 8 sentence
“A pragmatic optimism — where expectations are hopeful yet grounded in evidence — can motivate action without encouraging naivety.”
Collocations
- maintain optimism
- a sense of optimism
- optimism about
Word family
Common mistakes
an optimism→optimism / an optimist
many optimisms→a lot of optimism / many optimistic people
Say it for a higher band
5positive thinking→6being optimistic→7+optimism
Synonyms
positivity
Easily confused
positivity
“Her general positivity made the group feel better, but his optimism about immediate success was unrealistic.”
pessimism
“While optimism drove some to try again, pessimism led others to give up.”
Related words
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In -ism
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