Pollyanna attitude
- noun
- /ˌpɑːliˈænə ˈætɪtjuːd/
:
actitud Pollyanna
- She always maintains a Pollyanna attitude, believing that everything will turn out fine, even in tough situations.
Examples
-
Daddy used to call it her Pollyanna attitude, especially when he was irritated and in no mood to see the good side of a situation.
Fiction book (2000) -
Hahaha, sure, it really takes a Pollyanna attitude to accept that the election came exactly the way that almost every poll predicted in the days leading up to the vote.
Blog text (30) -
Perhaps you ought to "break a sweat" out there and stop policing with such a Pollyanna attitude ("someone whose optimism is excessive to the point of naïveté or refusing to accept the facts of an unfortunate situation").
Blog text (32) -
Despite the challenges ahead, his Pollyanna attitude kept the team's spirits high and focused on success.
-
Her Pollyanna attitude often leads her to overlook potential problems, making her unprepared for difficult outcomes.
Synonyms
5
5.1
A way of seeing things as better than they are and ignoring problems
1
3.7
A hopeful view of the future or a situation
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
An idea that things will always turn out well, even when there are problems
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
An overly optimistic view that ignores problems
An overly hopeful way of dealing with problems that ignores bad signs
A strong, lasting belief that things will get better even in hard times
Expecting only good results and ignoring risks
A view that is too positive and ignores problems
An optimistic view of the future that is often unrealistic
Seeing things in a very positive way that ignores problems
Antonyms
How Optimistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
Given knowledge of the constituents, the meaning is directly inferable: 'Pollyanna' denotes someone unrealistically expecting the best and 'attitude' denotes a habitual outlook, so together they transparently mean an excessively optimistic outlook. This is a straightforward proper-name modifier construction rather than an idiom, so a learner who knows both words will understand the phrase.
Etymology
Pollyanna attitude comes from a children's book about a girl named Pollyanna who always found something to be glad about and played the 'glad game'. That's why the phrase means 'too optimistic' or 'ignoring problems'.