Etymology Journal ยท C
Cautiously optimistic
Meaning
- This means you are hopeful about an outcome but remain prepared for things to go wrong. It is the classic professional way to say you are cautiously excited.
Professional, tempered
Used in a sentence
- Are you going to get the job? I am cautiously optimistic about the interview.
- How is the patient recovering? The doctors are cautiously optimistic.
- I am cautiously optimistic that we will finish this project before the deadline.
The backstory
This is a piece of formal jargon that has bled into everyday speech. It is the favorite phrase of politicians and managers who do not want to commit to a sure thing.
Heard in
Nationwide
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