A person who monitors, observes, or keeps watch for signs of doom, disaster, or catastrophic events; a vigilant observer of ominous developments.
From 'doom' + 'watcher' (Old English 'wæccer', meaning 'one who watches'). This compound is relatively modern, reflecting 20th-century concerns about monitoring global threats.
Environmental scientists, seismologists, and pandemic trackers are modern doomwatchers—they literally get paid to predict disasters, which means society secretly needs pessimists even though we pretend to value optimism.
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