Pollyanna
pronunciation
How to pronounce Pollyanna in British English:
UK [ˌpɒliˈænə]
How to pronounce Pollyanna in American English:
US [ˈpɑliˈænə]
Word Origin
- Pollyanna (n.)
- "one who finds cause for gladness in the most difficult situations," 1921, a reference to Pollyanna Whittier, child heroine of U.S. novelist Eleanor Hodgman Porter's "Pollyanna" (1913) and "Pollyanna Grows Up" (1915), who was noted for keeping her chin up during disasters.
Example
- 1. That 's your answer to everything , miss pollyanna .
- 2. Being optimistic is not about being a pollyanna and ignoring problems .
- 3. You don 't have to be a pollyanna , but try to perform one kindly act a week , choosing a different co-worker each time .
- 4. But it is not the indiscriminate applause of a pollyanna .
- 5. Perhaps I , too , am a pollyanna to believe that people would remain good when unobserved and unpoliced by god .