Optimism

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Optimism \Op"ti*mism\, n. [L. optimus the best; akin to optio
     choice: cf. F. optimisme. See {Option}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. (Metaph.) The opinion or doctrine that everything in
        nature, being the work of God, is ordered for the best, or
        that the ordering of things in the universe is such as to


        produce the highest good.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A habitual tendency or a present disposition to take the
        most hopeful view of future events, and to expect a
        favorable outcome even when unfavorable outcomes are
        possible; -- opposed to {pessimism}.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  optimism
       n 1: the optimistic feeling that all is going to turn out well
            [ant: {pessimism}]
       2: a general disposition to expect the best in all things [ant:
           {pessimism}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  40 Moby Thesaurus words for "optimism":
     Leibnizian optimism, Pollyannaism, blitheness, blithesomeness,
     bright outlook, bright side, brightness, buoyancy, cheer,
     cheerful expectation, cheerfulness, cheeriness, cheery vein,
     eupeptic mien, geniality, gladness, gladsomeness, good cheer,
     happiness, hope, hopefulness, idealism, millennialism,
     optimisticalness, perfectibilism, perfectionism,
     philosophical optimism, pleasantness, positivism, radiance,
     rosy expectation, rosy outlook, sanguine expectation,
     sanguine humor, sanguineness, sanguinity, silver lining, sunniness,
     utopianism, winsomeness
  
  

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  optimism n. What a programmer is full of after fixing the last bug and
     before discovering the _next_ last bug. Fred Brooks's book "The Mythical
     Man-Month" (See "Brooks's Law") contains the following paragraph that
     describes this extremely well:
  
    All programmers are optimists.  Perhaps this modern sorcery
    especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and fairy
    godmothers.  Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations drive away
    all but those who habitually focus on the end goal.  Perhaps it is
    merely that computers are young, programmers are younger, and the
    young are always optimists.  But however the selection process
    works, the result is indisputable: "This time it will surely run,"
    or "I just found the last bug.".
    
     See also {Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology}.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  optimism
       
          What a programmer is full of after fixing the last bug and
          just before actually discovering the *next* last bug.  Fred
          Brooks's book "{The Mythical Man-Month}" contains the
          following paragraph that describes this extremely well.
       
          All programmers are optimists.  Perhaps this modern sorcery
          especially attracts those who believe in happy endings and
          fairy god-mothers.  Perhaps the hundreds of nitty frustrations
          drive away all but those who habitually focus on the end goal.
          Perhaps it is merely that computers are young, programmers are
          younger, and the young are always optimists.  But however the
          selection process works, the result is indisputable: "This
          time it will surely run," or "I just found the last bug.".
       
          See also {Lubarsky's Law of Cybernetic Entomology}.
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
       

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  OPTIMISM, n.  The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful,
  including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and
  everything right that is wrong.  It is held with greatest tenacity by
  those most accustomed to the mischance of falling into adversity, and
  is most acceptably expounded with the grin that apes a smile.  Being a
  blind faith, it is inaccessible to the light of disproof -- an
  intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death.  It is
  hereditary, but fortunately not contagious.