Pollyanna
[pol-ee-an-uh]

noun
an excessively or blindly optimistic person.

adjective
(often lowercase) Also Pol·ly·an·na·ish. unreasonably or illogically optimistic:
some pollyanna notions about world peace.

Origin of Pollyanna
from the name of the child heroine created by Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), American writer

Related forms
Pol·ly·an·na·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for pollyanna
Pollyanna

noun
a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic
Derived Forms
Pollyannaish, adjective
Word Origin
C20: after the chief character in Pollyanna (1913), a novel by Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), US writer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pollyanna
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

pollyanna in Culture
Pollyanna

(1913) A children's book by the American author Eleanor H. Porter. The title character is an orphan girl who, despite the difficulties of her life, is always extremely cheerful.
Note
A “Pollyanna” remains excessively sweet-tempered and optimistic even in adversity.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.