Nearby Words
Synonyms

Pollyanna

[pol-ee-an-uh] Example Sentences Origin

Pol·ly·an·na

[pol-ee-an-uh]
noun
1.
an excessively or blindly optimistic person.
adjective
2.
(often lowercase) Also, Pol·ly·an·na·ish. unreasonably or illogically optimistic: some pollyanna notions about world peace.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Pollyanna is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

Origin:
from the name of the child heroine created by Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), American writer

Pol·ly·an·na·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Pollyanna
Example Sentences
  • The best teams on the field are usually not pollyanna teams in the clubhouse.
  • Pollyanna thinking about technological progress does no good to a villager who does not have even basic access to education.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Pollyanna (ˌpɒlɪˈænə)
 
n
a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic
 
[C20: after the chief character in Pollyanna (1913), a novel by Eleanor Porter (1868--1920), US writer]
 
Pollyannaish
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Pollyanna
"one who finds cause for gladness in the most difficult situations," 1921, in allusion to Pollyanna Whittier, child heroine of U.S. novelist Eleanor Hodgman Porter's "Pollyanna" (1913) and "Pollyanna Grows Up" (1915), noted for keeping her chin up during disasters.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

Pollyanna definition


(1913) A children's book by the American author Eleanor H. Porter. The title character is an orphan girl who, despite the difficulties of her life, is always extremely cheerful.

Note: A “Pollyanna” remains excessively sweet-tempered and optimistic even in adversity.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature