Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pessimistic

/ˌpɛ.səˈmɪs.tɪk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.25 in modern English

Syllables
pes-simistic
IPA
/ˌpɛ.səˈmɪs.tɪk/
17
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree English pessimist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English pessimistic From pessimist + -ic.

Inflected Forms

more pessimistic (comparative) most pessimistic (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce pessimistic?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɛ.səˈmɪs.tɪk/.
What does pessimistic mean?
Marked by pessimism and little hopefulness; expecting the worst.
Where does pessimistic come from?
Etymology tree English pessimist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English pessimistic From pessimist + -ic.

How to pronounce pessimistic

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pessimistic”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpɛ.səˈmɪs.tɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pessimistic”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pessimistic” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.