Meaning & use
doom sayers
Last updated
“doom sayers” is a form of “doom sayer”.
Meaning
nounplural
People who regularly predict that something bad will happen or that a situation will end badly.
Grammar: Plural noun; the singular is 'doomsayer'. It usually takes a plural verb: Doom sayers were wrong again.
Patterns
- doom sayers predict something
- doom sayers warn of something
- the doom sayers were wrong
The doom sayers said the company would fail within a year, but it is still growing.
Ignore the doom sayers for a moment and look at the actual numbers.
Every new technology brings out the doom sayers who say it will destroy society.
Word forms
| singular | doom sayer |
|---|---|
| plural | doom sayers |
Common combinations
- the doom sayers were wrong
- The doom sayers were wrong about the housing market last year.
- economic doom sayers
- Economic doom sayers are predicting another recession.
- prove the doom sayers wrong
- The team wants to prove the doom sayers wrong.
- a chorus of doom sayers
- A chorus of doom sayers greeted the new law.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pessimist
- A pessimist expects bad things in general; a doom sayer usually makes public predictions about a specific disaster.
- prophet of doom
- Stronger and more literary, suggesting a dramatic public warning rather than an everyday gloomy opinion.
- alarmist
- An alarmist spreads fear about a danger; a doom sayer may simply expect failure, not necessarily panic.
Opposites
Word family
- doomsayer noun
- The singular form for one such person.
- doom noun
- A terrible fate or destruction, the idea behind the word.
- doom-laden adjective
- Full of predictions of disaster.
Commonly confused: doom sayers or naysayer?
doom sayers vs naysayer
A naysayer simply says no or objects to an idea; a doom sayer specifically predicts disaster or failure.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'doom sayers' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Doom sayers' is plural, so it needs the plural verb 'are'. Option 0 uses a singular verb, option 2 mixes a singular noun with a plural verb, and option 3 mixes the article 'a' with a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “doom sayers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.