seeing the glass half-empty

A form of see the glass half-empty — To focus on what one does not have instead of what one has; to focus on the negative aspects of a situation; to adopt a pessimistic attitude towards life in general.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of see the glass half-empty
Cite this entry
APA

seeing the glass half-empty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seeing%20the%20glass%20half-empty

MLA

“seeing the glass half-empty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seeing%20the%20glass%20half-empty. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seeing the glass half-empty,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seeing%20the%20glass%20half-empty.

Source: seeing the glass half-empty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.