Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"

Latest answer — May 24, 2025

18 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, May 24, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Course on behavior, for short
  2. 6Song and dance
  3. 16Lyrical piece
  4. 17Like many jobs for recent grads
  5. 18Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"
  6. 20"That stings!"
  7. 21Becomes inoperable, in a way
  8. 22Sources of wind sounds
  9. 23Neck, in Newcastle
  10. 25Scuttlebutt, these days
  11. 26Said, informally
  12. 27Places for change
  13. 29Magic center, familiarly
  14. 30Certain digital denizen
  15. 33Share the spotlight
  16. 34Creature that returns to the beach where it was born for laying eggs
  17. 36Pixel-dense, for short
  18. 37Quickly
  19. 38Lousy pair to choose from
  20. 39Infamous denier of Mary and Joseph
  21. 41Guys
  22. 42Esq., often
  23. 43Rock band founded by three sisters
  24. 44"Hey ___!" (Nickelodeon cartoon of 1996-2004)
  25. 45Data command
  26. 46Whatever
  27. 47Digital recording pioneer
  28. 49"Yeah, sure"
  29. 51Producers of some waves
  30. 53Letters for the dearly departed
  31. 54Positive result of having 18-Across, perhaps
  32. 57"Don't expect that from me"
  33. 58Let up
  34. 59Charges that vary between states
  35. 60Culls, with "out"

Down

  1. 1River that once marked the boundary of the Wild West
  2. 2Location where a video game character starts (or restarts) a level
  3. 3Incredulous reply to a daring scheme
  4. 4Summer hrs. in Iowa
  5. 5Mary I, to Henry VIII
  6. 6Finds another purpose for
  7. 7Quick start?
  8. 8Old muscle cars
  9. 9"Human Concretion" sculptor
  10. 10Nice thing to hear from one's dining partner
  11. 11Xenomorph who can produce humanoid offspring
  12. 12Held another session
  13. 13Younger contemporary of Virgil
  14. 14Minus
  15. 15Water-resistant wood
  16. 19Exposed
  17. 24Xi's language
  18. 26"You did ___?!"
  19. 28Shelters from the heat?
  20. 29Brand
  21. 30Classic poem with the lines "Leaving behind nights of terror and fear ... Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear"
  22. 31Not recommended
  23. 32Eton ___ (traditional English dessert)
  24. 33Smoothie seed
  25. 34A flute might have a short one
  26. 35Place for a camper
  27. 37Implement at a roast
  28. 40Aviation legend
  29. 41Word with air or deep
  30. 44Undoes, in court
  31. 45Manscape, perhaps
  32. 46Proverbial thing to cross, in politics
  33. 48One-sided columns
  34. 49Radius neighbor
  35. 50Direction for a dog
  36. 51Thin rods, in some product names
  37. 52Send flying
  38. 54Magnum and Spade, for short
  39. 55Music group co-founded by Dr. Dre
  40. 56Social media star Addison ___

The answer to “Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"” in the New York Times crossword is CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM — a 16-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 24, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 18-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"” answer

CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM (16 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM.

Why the answer is CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM

CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM is the 16-letter solution that fits "Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"" in the NYT Crossword crossword on May 24, 2025 (18-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

When else has “Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

May 24, 2025 (most recent) → CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"”?

The answer is CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM, a 16-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 24, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"”?

16 letters: CAUTIOUSOPTIMISM.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on May 24, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 18-Across.

Can “Feeling described as "hoping for the best, but fearing the worst"” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for May 24, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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