sanguine
sanguine Lexical Profile
sanguine Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Optimistic, hopeful, or confident, especially in an apparently difficult or uncertain situation.
"Despite the recent economic downturn, the analysts remain sanguine about the company's long-term growth."
Having a healthy, reddish complexion, or being blood-red in color.
"After a brisk walk in the autumn wind, he returned indoors with a warm, sanguine glow on his cheeks."
• noun
A deep blood-red or reddish-brown color, or a red iron-oxide chalk crayon used in artistic drawing.
"The Renaissance master sketched the preliminary portrait in sanguine on cream-colored paper."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'sanguine' (optimistic or cheerful) with 'sanguinary' (bloodthirsty or involving much bloodshed), although both share the same Latin root meaning 'blood'.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'sanguin', from Latin 'sanguineus' ('of blood, bloody, blood-red'), derived from 'sanguis' ('blood'). The sense of 'cheerful and optimistic' comes from medieval physiology, where a predominance of blood among the four bodily humors was believed to produce a ruddy complexion and a hopeful, lively temperament.