Sanguine means cheerfully optimistic, particularly in the face of difficulty or uncertainty. If someone is sanguine about a setback, they expect things to turn out well and aren't rattled by the bad news. It's a precise, slightly formal adjective that suits written English especially well, though it also works naturally in speech when you want something more specific than "positive" or "hopeful."
The core definition
Sanguine (adjective) describes a disposition or attitude that is confidently hopeful, even when circumstances don't obviously justify optimism. The key nuance is that sanguine implies a settled confidence rather than mere wishful thinking. A sanguine person isn't ignoring bad news. They've assessed it and still expect a good outcome.
Use it of people, moods, or assessments. You can be sanguine about a negotiation, a prognosis, or an election result.
Where the word comes from
Sanguine comes from the Latin sanguineus, meaning "of blood" or "blood-red," which itself derives from sanguis, blood. Medieval physicians believed the body contained four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. A person dominated by blood was said to be sanguine: ruddy-cheeked, energetic, sociable, and above all optimistic. The other humours gave us glum and obstinate personality types in different combinations.
By the 17th century, sanguine had shed the medical machinery and settled into its modern meaning: simply, a person who looks on the bright side. The blood connection survives in a secondary meaning, "blood-red," though this sense is now rare outside heraldry and botany.
How to use sanguine correctly
Sanguine is almost always used as a predicate adjective or attributive adjective:
- She remained sanguine about the project's chances despite the delays.
- His sanguine outlook impressed the investors.
- Few analysts were sanguine after the quarterly figures came in.
Note the typical phrasing: "sanguine about" something, or "sanguine that" something will happen. Both constructions are standard. "Sanguine of" something is older and now sounds archaic.
Don't confuse sanguine with sanguinary, which means bloodthirsty or marked by bloodshed. The two words share a root but mean very different things. Calling a battle "sanguine" is a mistake; the correct word there is sanguinary.
Sanguine vs other optimism words
English has a cluster of words for positive thinking, and they don't all point at the same thing. Optimistic is the broadest and most neutral. Buoyant suggests a light, springy cheerfulness. Zealous implies passionate energy directed at a cause, which is adjacent to enthusiasm but not quite optimism. Sanguine occupies a specific spot: it describes calm, grounded confidence rather than excitement. A doctor can be sanguine about a patient's recovery without being buoyant or especially enthusiastic. The optimism is quiet and considered.
Sanguine also carries a faint connotation of resilience. It tends to appear in contexts where things are going badly or are uncertain, precisely because that's when the word earns its keep. Describing someone as sanguine on a good day tells you less than describing them as sanguine in a crisis.
Sanguine in sentences: real-world examples
The word turns up regularly in journalism, business writing, and formal correspondence. Here are some natural uses:
- The prime minister appeared sanguine about the trade talks, even as negotiations stalled.
- Investors were less sanguine after the central bank raised rates for the third consecutive month.
- She was privately sanguine about the diagnosis, though she kept that to herself.
- The coach struck a sanguine tone in his post-match press conference.
Notice how easily sanguine can take a qualifying adverb. "Privately sanguine," "cautiously sanguine," or "not entirely sanguine" all work without straining the word.
A note on the blood-red meaning
The older, colour-based sense of sanguine does still appear in some specialist contexts. In heraldry, sanguine is a tincture: a deep blood-red that's distinct from gules (the more common red). In botanical and medical descriptions, sanguine can describe a reddish or blood-tinged appearance. If you encounter the word in one of these fields, context will make the sense clear. In ordinary modern English, sanguine means optimistic. Full stop.
Quick reference
Part of speech: adjective (occasionally a noun in historical use, referring to a person of the sanguine temperament).
Pronunciation: SANG-gwin.
Typical construction: sanguine about / sanguine that.
Do not confuse with: sanguinary (bloodthirsty).
Synonyms: optimistic, buoyant, hopeful, confident.
Antonyms: pessimistic, despondent, glum.