pessimal C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈpɛsɪməl/ UK /ˈpesɪməl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj least favorable or worst possible, the opposite of optimal Engineers tested the system under pessimal load conditions. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · least favorable or worst... worstleast favorablepoorest ↔ Opposites optimalbestidealmaximal Word family Related forms pessimumpessimismpessimist Etymology AI details A modern formation (chiefly in biology and engineering) from Latin pessimus ('worst'), the superlative of malus ('bad'), modeled on optimal. pessimus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # pessimal **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈpɛsɪməl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpesɪməl/ ## Meanings 1. least favorable or worst possible, the opposite of optimal ## Examples - Engineers tested the system under pessimal load conditions. ## Synonyms - worst - least favorable - poorest ## Antonyms - optimal - best - ideal - maximal ## Related Forms - pessimum - pessimism - pessimist ## Roots and Affixes - Root: pessimus ## Etymology A modern formation (chiefly in biology and engineering) from Latin pessimus ('worst'), the superlative of malus ('bad'), modeled on optimal. ## AI Etymology Pessimal is a modern formation (chiefly in biology and engineering) from Latin pessimus ('worst'), the superlative of malus ('bad'), modeled on optimal. Important recorded forms include pessimus (Latin). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers least favorable or worst possible, the opposite of optimal. The wider family includes related words such as pessimum, pessimism, and pessimist. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown