Pollyannaish outlook
- noun
- /ˌpɑːliˈænəɪʃ ˈaʊtˌlʊk/
:
perspectiva Pollyanna
- It's important to stay realistic and avoid adopting a Pollyannaish outlook when making big decisions.
Examples
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Her Pollyannaish outlook worried her friends, who thought she ignored real dangers.
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Even in the face of layoffs, he maintained a Pollyannaish outlook about the company's future.
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Her Pollyannaish outlook on life often annoys her friends.
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Do you really believe that a Pollyannaish outlook can solve all problems?
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Even in the face of layoffs, he maintained a Pollyannaish outlook about the company's future.
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Her Pollyannaish outlook worried her friends, who thought she ignored real dangers.
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It's important to stay realistic and avoid adopting a Pollyannaish outlook when making big decisions.
Synonyms
209
2.8
A tendency to expect good results and see the positive side of things
17
3.6
Feeling hopeful and expecting a good result
5
5.1
A way of seeing things as better than they are and ignoring problems
5
1.3
A feeling that good things will happen
1
3.7
A hopeful view of the future or a situation
An idea that things will always turn out well, even when there are problems
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
Being too positive and ignoring real problems
An overly hopeful way of dealing with problems that ignores bad signs
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
An overly optimistic view that ignores real problems
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
Expecting only good results and ignoring risks
A strong, lasting belief that things will get better even in hard times
Antonyms
How Optimistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
While 'outlook' (a general attitude) is transparent, the adjective 'Pollyannaish' depends on knowledge of the literary character Pollyanna and the cultural stereotype of excessive, naive optimism; this cultural reference is not predictable from the lexical parts for a B1 learner. The construction is therefore idiomatic and culturally bound rather than compositionally derivable, making the phrase opaque to learners who only know the constituent words.
Etymology
Pollyannaish outlook comes from a character named Pollyanna in an old children's book who always played a 'glad game', looking for something good in every situation. So, saying someone has a Pollyannaish outlook creates the picture of a person who is 'too optimistic' and may ignore real problems.