What does bearish mean?
'Bearish' describes an expectation that prices will fall, most commonly applied to financial markets such as stocks, bonds, or commodities. A bearish investor believes asset values are likely to decline and may act accordingly — selling holdings, shorting shares, or simply advising caution. The word also extends figuratively to any pessimistic or gloomy assessment of future prospects, as when an economist is described as bearish about growth. It derives from 'bear', the animal whose name has been attached to declining markets since the eighteenth century, partly through the proverb about selling a bearskin one does not yet own. Its natural opposite is 'bullish', which denotes optimism about rising prices. Together these two terms form one of the most enduring pairs of metaphors in finance, giving traders, analysts, and commentators a compact way to signal their view of where markets are headed.
(of financial markets or investors) expecting or causing a fall in prices.
"The bearish mood on the trading floor deepened as the index slid for a fifth consecutive session."
Pessimistic or gloomy in outlook.
"She remained bearish about the industry's chances of recovery."
Wall Street named its pessimists after bears because of an 18th-century proverb about selling the bearskin before you've caught the bear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bearish
'Bearish' is formed from 'bear' with the suffix '-ish', first appearing in English in the early eighteenth century. Its financial sense grew from the practice of calling stock-market speculators who sold shares they did not yet own 'bears', a usage linked to the proverb 'to sell the bear's skin before one has caught the bear'. The animal metaphor spread through London's Exchange Alley and became firmly established in financial English, later yielding the contrasting term 'bullish'. Related words sharing the root include 'bear' itself and compounds such as 'bearishness'.
How bearish is actually used
Primarily used in financial and economic contexts, where it is standard professional vocabulary rather than informal slang. It carries a neutral-to-negative connotation depending on context. Its opposite, 'bullish', comes from a related tradition of animal metaphors for market behavior.
Easily confused with bearish
In finance, 'bearish' means expecting falling prices; the older, literal sense described someone rough or gruff like a bear, a meaning now largely obsolete.