Meanings
comparative more Panglossian · superlative most Panglossian
- derogatoryNaively or unreasonably optimistic.
Though he took a Panglossian view of the world in his youth, he became jaded as he grew older.
1 more example
Nadelmann assumes that the number of potential addicts wouldn’t soar under considerably more liberal drug laws. I can’t muster such Panglossian optimism.
2010, Theodore Dalrymple, Our Culture, What’s Left of ItSynonyms: Panglossic, Pollyannaish, artless, callow, childlike, verdant, clueless, credulous
- derogatoryOf or relating to the view that this is the best of all possible worlds.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveNaively or unreasonably optimistic.
Origin
Pangloss (a character in Voltaire's Candide) + -ian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French panglossien
- panglossiennaively or unreasonably optimistic
German panglossisch
- panglossischnaively or unreasonably optimistic
Portuguese panglossiano
- panglossianonaively or unreasonably optimistic
Spanish panglossiano
- panglossianonaively or unreasonably optimistic
Swedish panglossiansk
- panglossiansknaively or unreasonably optimistic
Cite this entry
Panglossian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Panglossian
“Panglossian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Panglossian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Panglossian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Panglossian.
Source: Panglossian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.