What does optimist mean?
Word: Optimist
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Optimist means a person who expects good things to happen and looks on the bright side.
How do you spell optimist?
Syllables: op - ti - mist
Tricky part: The weak vowel after the t is the trap. It is barely heard, so pupils write optomist or optamist.
Watch out for: optomist, optamist
Memory tip: Meet Tim, the cheerful fellow who lives in the middle of this word. His name keeps that weak vowel in place.
Optimist in a sentence
Example 1: Only an optimist would plan a picnic in the middle of the monsoon.
Example 2: My grandmother, a lifelong optimist, says tomorrow will always be better.
Example 3: Being an optimist helped Dev keep practising after losing three matches.
Fun Fact
The word comes from the Latin optimus, meaning best. An optimum result is the best one possible, so optimist and optimum are close relatives.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
opptimist
a) t
b) m
c) i
d) p
Show answer
d) p. Only one of this letter is needed in the opening beat.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
optimist
a) pessimist
b) enthusiast
c) idealist
d) dreamer
Show answer
a) pessimist. This is the person who expects the worst.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
smitptio
a) optimism
b) optional
c) optician
d) optimist
Show answer
d) optimist. Optimism is the near miss, but the jumble has only one m and two t's.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) sientist
b) geolagist
c) cyclest
d) optimist
Show answer
d) optimist. The others should read scientist, geologist and cyclist.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Your team is three goals down at half-time. What does an optimist say?
a) We should head home right now.
b) We can still turn this round.
c) There is no point in going on.
d) The other side will surely win.
Show answer
b) We can still turn this round.
2. Which habit marks out an optimist?
a) complaining when the rules change
b) seeing each setback as a fresh chance
c) expecting each plan to go wrong
d) avoiding anything new or different
Show answer
b) seeing each setback as a fresh chance
