optimistic
Believing that good things will happen.
optimistic in a sentence
- Even with rain forecast, Rosa stayed optimistic that sports day would go ahead.
- Grandad stayed optimistic about his roses, sure they would bloom despite the late frost.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to optimistic?
- Apessimistic
- Bhopeful
- Cgloomy
- Dnegative
Show the answer
B: hopeful. The other three mean the opposite of optimistic.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to optimistic?
- Apessimistic
- Bpositive
- Ccheerful
- Dhopeful
Show the answer
A: pessimistic. The other three mean nearly the same as optimistic.
Words that mean something similar
hopeful, positive, cheerful
Words that mean the opposite
pessimistic, negative, gloomy
More words about emotions & feelings
- outburst: A sudden explosion of strong feeling, like anger or laughter.
- outrage: A feeling of great anger and shock at something unfair.
- overwhelm: To affect someone so strongly that they can hardly cope.
- pacify: To make someone calm when they are angry or upset.
- pessimistic: Expecting the worst to happen.
- petrified: So frightened that you cannot move.
- plight: A sad or difficult situation someone is stuck in.
- qualm: A worried feeling that what you are doing might be wrong.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test