pessimism /ˈpɛsɪmɪzəm/ noun3 •A general belief that bad things will happen.Bourgeois novels were full of pessimism, their authors had sold out to capitalism and their heroes were mostly thieves, prostitutes, spies, and hooligans. — 1978 •The doctrine that this world is the worst of all possible worlds. •The condition of being pessimal. formspessimisms