optimism.

A tendency to expect favorable outcomes or give weight to the favorable possibilities in a situation.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• cautious optimism
• optimism about an outcome

On the page

Cautious optimism followed the first successful test, though several uncertainties remained.

Her optimism about the outcome helped sustain effort without resolving the practical obstacles.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / character / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: characterization, motivation analysis, behavioral comparison, qualification. Disciplines: psychology, social behavior, character writing. Commonness: common.