pollyanna-ish

the term derives from the name of the protagonist, pollyanna whittier, in eleanor h. porter's 1913 novel. pollyanna is known for her unwavering practice of finding something to be glad about in every situation, a philosophy she calls "the glad game." the suffix -ish, of germanic origin, is used to form adjectives indicating possession of a quality. thus, pollyanna-ish literally means "having the characteristics of pollyanna," evolving from a proper noun into a common adjective describing an attitude of persistent, often unrealistic optimism.

Structure: pollyanna + ish pollyanna (proper noun, from the fictional character created by eleanor h. porter) + ish (suffix, old english -isc, forming adjectives meaning "having the characteristics of" or "somewhat like")