ottimismo

optimism

noun oht-tee-MEEZ-moh Less Common

Origin: Latin optimus, 'best', via French optimisme

Usage Note

Ottimismo is the abstract noun from ottimista (optimist) and ottimistico (optimistic). All three share the root but differ in form: ottimismo (the disposition), ottimista (the person — invariable in gender: il/la ottimista), ottimistico (the adjective). The opposite is pessimismo. Plural: ottimismi (rare, used for 'expressions of optimism').

Examples

"Il suo ottimismo ha contagiato tutta la squadra."

Natural Translation

His optimism was contagious to the whole team.

Literal Translation

The his optimism has infected all the team.

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