pollyanna Definition
- 1an excessively cheerful or optimistic person
- 2a person who is excessively or naively optimistic
Using pollyanna: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "pollyanna" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
She's such a Pollyanna that she always sees the bright side of everything.
Example
I'm not a Pollyanna, but I do believe things will get better.
Example
Don't be such a Pollyanna about the situation; it's not going to magically fix itself.
pollyanna Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for pollyanna
- optimist
- cheerleader
- positivist
- ray of sunshine
Antonyms for pollyanna
- pessimist
- gloomy Gus
Phrases with pollyanna
play Pollyanna
to pretend to be overly optimistic or cheerful
Example
She's playing Pollyanna again, acting like everything is perfect when it's clearly not.
the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones
Example
The Pollyanna principle suggests that people have a bias towards remembering positive experiences over negative ones.
Pollyannaish
excessively or naively optimistic
Example
His Pollyannaish attitude towards the project was unrealistic and unhelpful.
Origins of pollyanna
from the name of the protagonist in the novel 'Pollyanna' (1913) by Eleanor H. Porter
Summary: pollyanna in Brief
'Pollyanna' [ˌpɑːliˈænə] refers to an excessively cheerful or optimistic person, often used to describe someone who is overly naive or unrealistic. It can be used as a noun or adjective, as in 'She's such a Pollyanna' or 'His Pollyannaish attitude.' The phrase 'play Pollyanna' means to pretend to be overly optimistic, while the 'Pollyanna principle' refers to the tendency to remember positive experiences more accurately than negative ones.
