pollyannaish
Adjective: * Excessively or unrealistically optimistic: Describes a person or attitude that is cheerful and hopeful to a degree that may ignore problems, difficulties, or negative realities. It implies a tendency to always see the positive side, sometimes in a naive or unwarranted way.
This adjective is used to describe a person's character, outlook, or specific statements. It often carries a slightly critical or dismissive connotation, suggesting the optimism is simplistic, ignores evidence, or is not grounded in reality.
- Her pollyannaish belief that everything would work out perfectly left her unprepared for the challenges.
- The manager's pollyannaish outlook was frustrating to employees who were dealing with the real problems daily.
- Despite the alarming reports, he remained pollyannaish about the company's future.
- The term is often used in literary, journalistic, or psychological contexts to critique an attitude perceived as naive or deliberately ignoring complexity.
- It can describe a cognitive bias known as the "Pollyanna principle," which is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones.
- Pollyanna (noun): A person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything.
- Pollyannaism (noun): The attitude or behavior of a Pollyanna; persistent optimism.
- Overly optimistic
- Unrealistically cheerful
- Rose-colored
- Panglossian (literary, from Voltaire's )
- Sunny (less critical)
- Pessimistic
- Cynical
- Realistic
- Gloomy
The word derives from the name of the protagonist, Pollyanna Whittier, in a 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter. Pollyanna is known for playing "The Glad Game," which involves always finding something to be glad about in every situation, no matter how unfortunate.
- pleasantly (even unrealistically) optimistic