pessoptimist

English

Etymology

Blend of pessimist +‎ optimist, coined by British translator Trevor LeGassick in his 1985 translation of Emile Habibi's 1974 Arabic-language novel The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɛsˈɑptɪmɪst/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɛsˈɒptɪmɪst/

Noun

pessoptimist (plural pessoptimists)

1. A person who possesses elements of both pessimism and optimism.
   • 2001, Emile Habibi, translated by Trevor LeGassick, Salma Khadra Jayyusi, The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist, Interlink Books, →ISBN, page xiii:

     The paradoxical view of the dynamics of the situation explains the meaning of the word “pessoptimist,” coined from the partial merger of “optimist” and “pessimist.”

   • 2010, William A. Callahan, China: The Pessoptimist Nation‎^[1], Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 9:

     To put it simply, China is a pessoptimist nation. To understand China’s glowing optimism, we need to understand its enduring pessimism, and vice versa.

   • 2023, Terry Lee Murphy, Umbrella Analysis, Ankeny, Iowa, →ISBN, page 80:

     There are those that have combined pessimism and optimism, giving rise to “The Pessoptimist.” It is the unfiltered thought and transparent conflict in the minds of today’s well-intentioned common human. A condition where one’s afflicted with seeing the worst while trying to do what seems right. We can call it discouraged encouragement.