Standard Lemma guide

Panglossian

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /pænˈɡlɒsɪən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /pænˈɡlɑsi.ən/
  • General-American: /pænˈɡlɔsi.ən/
  • rhymes with -ɔːsiən
  • rhymes with -ɒsɪən

1

adj

Meaning 1

Naively or unreasonably optimistic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

Examples

  • Though he took a Panglossian view of the world in his youth, he became jaded as he grew older.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Panglossic, Pollyannaish, artless, callow, childlike, verdant, clueless, credulous, dewy-eyed, cute, fleeceable, foppotee, green, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, jejune, Panglossian, quaint, simple, simple-hearted, simple-minded, starry-eyed, unaffected, undesigning, unpretentious, unsophisticated, untested, unworldly, wide-eyed, immature, born yesterday, wet behind the ears, virgin

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or relating to the view that this is the best of all possible worlds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Pangloss (a character in Voltaire's Candide) + -ian

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: panglossien — naively or unreasonably optimistic
  • German: panglossisch — naively or unreasonably optimistic
  • Portuguese: panglossiano — naively or unreasonably optimistic
  • Spanish: panglossiano — naively or unreasonably optimistic
  • Swedish: panglossiansk — naively or unreasonably optimistic