as in optimistic
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as in optimist
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Recent Examples of Pollyanna
Rich Roll, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
During the festival, those attending can enjoy a selection of beer, wine and cocktails from Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling, along with offerings from other local St. Charles breweries, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Your options aren’t only ‘cynical’ or ‘naïve’ The opposite of a cynic is a Pollyanna.
—Stav Ziv, CNBC, 24 June 2025
But isn’t the cynical explanation also the Pollyanna one?
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
Informed hope is not a Pollyanna attitude, but balancing the realities of the situation with the positive things people are doing.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
Alexi’s tutu-twirling positivity should not be confused with Pollyanna, nor her quirky insights with naiveté.
—Rich Roll, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
During the festival, those attending can enjoy a selection of beer, wine and cocktails from Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling, along with offerings from other local St. Charles breweries, according to the release.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Your options aren’t only ‘cynical’ or ‘naïve’ The opposite of a cynic is a Pollyanna.
—Stav Ziv, CNBC, 24 June 2025
But isn’t the cynical explanation also the Pollyanna one?
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
Informed hope is not a Pollyanna attitude, but balancing the realities of the situation with the positive things people are doing.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Pollyanna
Adjective
-
Brian Vicente, partner at Vicente LLP, is optimistic that this week’s rescheduling is an incremental movement toward de-scheduling and maybe even legalizing marijuana altogether.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Iran war has left uncertainty hanging over global markets for the past two months, but many market participants remain optimistic about where equities are headed, even in spite of record valuations.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Value for money has been next to nil and even an eternal optimist would be hard-pressed to visualise a redemption arc.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Every time an incident like this happens, the optimist in me thinks, perhaps this will be a turning point.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Minnesota’s outlook isn’t as hopeful as the Lakers’, what with DiVincenzo, who was a team-best plus-45 in four games, likely out for most of next season and Edwards expected to need several weeks to return.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Both Angela Ingersoll, who played the ever-hopeful Sally, and Michelle Duffy, as the cynical realist Phyllis, pulsed with vivacious energy, playing across from Rapp’s sardonic take on wound-tight Ben and Wallem’s deeply sad exploration of Buddy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He’s got the twinkly eye and the sly, gregarious spiritual ease of a Micawber or a Cheeryble.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2024
-
The smallest of the Micawber brood glides away in his baby carriage, because the bailiff is dragging the hallway carpet out from under the front door.—
Josephine Livingstone,
The New Republic,
16 Sep. 2020
Noun
-
In the early 20th century, a group of idealists set out to build a road that would connect towns and showcase the raw beauty of the Columbia River Gorge.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Gorton skillfully depicts the grueling decades-long struggle of Sanger (the icon, in this telling) and Dennett (the idealist) to make birth control available and legal, as well as their interpersonal competition for power and influence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While the Mets might want to paint a rosy picture after back-to-back wins, the team is far from fixed.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This easygoing collection of tropical-punch colors combines pale caladiums with rosy centers, purple-and-green Magilla perilla, the dark purple leaves of calathea 'Dottie', and a few ferns (including a feathery ghost fern).—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
What began in 1923 as a temporary billboard for a housing development has since transformed into one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, drawing dreamers, tourists and hikers alike into its orbit.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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There’s still a chance Bosa could unite with big brother, Joey Bosa, and dreamers will fantasize for Myles Garrett, but, alas, this pre-draft story is about unproven prospects.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the two countries’ standoff in the Strait of Hormuz escalated last week when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized commercial vessels for the first time—a sign that its forces remain potent and that the war could again defy the upbeat assessments from the Pentagon’s leaders.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The company also shared upbeat guidance, citing high demand for its analog chips that are crucial for the buildout of AI data centers.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pollyanna.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Pollyanna. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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