dyed-in-the-wool optimist
- noun
- /daɪd ɪn ðə wʊl ˈɑptɪmɪst/
- Informal
:
optimista empedernido
- Even during tough times, Mark remains a dyed-in-the-wool optimist and lifts everyone’s spirits.
Examples
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As a dyed-in-the-wool optimist, she always expects everything to turn out well.
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You need to be a dyed-in-the-wool optimist to see the bright side of this situation.
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She is a true dyed-in-the-wool optimist!
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My friend Jack is a dyed-in-the-wool optimist.
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As a dyed-in-the-wool optimist, she always expects everything to turn out well.
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Even during tough times, Mark remains a dyed-in-the-wool optimist and lifts everyone’s spirits.
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You need to be a dyed-in-the-wool optimist to see the bright side of this situation.
Synonyms
63
3.2
A person who usually expects good things to happen
7
8.2
A person who always expects the best, even when things are bad
A person who keeps expecting good things even when it seems unlikely
Antonyms
How Optimistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
dyed-in-the-wool + optimist
The head modifier 'dyed-in-the-wool' is an idiomatic, historical metaphor (originally about dyeing wool) whose meaning 'deeply committed/ingrained' cannot be derived from the literal meanings of 'dyed', 'in', 'the', and 'wool'. Although 'optimist' is transparent, the overall phrase relies on the idiomatic modifier, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Dyed-in-the-wool optimist comes from dyeing wool: when wool is dyed all the way through, the color stays and cannot be washed out. That's why a 'dyed-in-the-wool optimist' means a person who always expects good things and does not easily become negative.