Optimist

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɑptɪmɪst/

Definitions

1. A person who consistently expects favorable outcomes and maintains a positive outlook on future events
2. An individual who tends to believe that good things will happen and looks at situations through a positive lens in anticipation of favorable results
3. A person characterized by a hopeful and confident attitude towards future experiences, often expecting success in various endeavors

Etymology: The word is built from the Latin "optimus" ("best") and the suffix "-ist", and its story runs through French before reaching English. The Latin base is a superlative, so the word literally points to someone who believes in the best, a notion that suited the philosophical debates of the 1700s. Its immediate source is French "optimiste", which came into use in the late 18th century, and English adopted it from there. The suffix has a longer journey than the base. "-ist" passed from Ancient Greek "-istēs", an agent ending meaning a person who practises or adheres to something, into Latin as "-ista" and then into French as "-iste". English took it up as a productive ending for people who follow a doctrine or habit, so "optimist" joined a family that includes "realist" and "pessimist". Each piece therefore carries a separate history, and the word itself is a relatively recent combination of them.

Synonyms: hopeful person, positive thinker

Antonyms: pessimist, cynic