1
Hopeful outlook
Expect a favourable outcome despite uncertainty.
Example
Analysts remain sanguine about the region’s recovery.
sanguine
/ˈsæŋɡwɪn/ · SANG-gwinadjective
Optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
Use sanguine when the context supports this precise meaning: optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
What sanguine Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Confident assessment
Judge prospects positively.
Example
The director offered a sanguine forecast for enrolment.
3
Composed optimism
Maintain confidence under adverse conditions.
Example
Even after the setback, she sounded remarkably sanguine.
Use sanguine Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Analysts remain sanguine about the region’s recovery.
The director offered a sanguine forecast for enrolment.
Even after the setback, she sounded remarkably sanguine.
Precision Matters
Sanguine overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
sanguine
vs.Means optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
ominous
Means threatening or suggesting that something bad is likely to happen.
sanguine
vs.Means optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
despondent
Means deeply discouraged and without hope.
sanguine
vs.Means optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
optimistic
Means hopeful about future outcomes.
sanguine
vs.Means optimistic or confident, especially in a difficult situation.
dubious
Means doubtful, questionable, or unlikely to be reliable.
Test sanguine in Context
She stays optimistic in the face of setbacks.
1
Despite two failed prototypes, the engineer remained ___ that the design could be made reliable.