Optimism

How to spell optimism

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce optimism

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does optimism mean?

1. nounA hopeful and confident attitude that good outcomes are likely.

Optimism in a sentence

• Her optimism about the new job kept the whole team motivated.

• Despite the slow sales figures, the manager spoke with quiet optimism.

Where does optimism come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word grows from the Latin optimus, meaning 'best', the superlative form of bonus, 'good'. It first appeared as the French optimisme, coined in the 1730s by writers discussing the philosopher Leibniz, who had argued that because a perfect God created the world, this must be the best of all possible worlds. The label stuck to that cheerful doctrine, and Voltaire famously mocked it in his 1759 novel Candide. English took the word over in the same period, and it soon broadened from the narrow philosophical sense into the everyday meaning of a hopeful, positive outlook. The buried optim- (best) is a useful spelling cue, since it explains the single 'p' and the 'i' that learners sometimes swap for an 'e'.

How the word is built

• optim- (from Latin optimus: best)
• -ism (noun suffix: doctrine, belief, or disposition)