fatalism

noun

fa·​tal·​ism ˈfā-tə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce fatalism (audio)
: a doctrine that events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them
also : a belief in or attitude determined by this doctrine
fatalism that regards social problems as simply inevitable
fatalist noun
fatalistic adjective
fatalistically adverb

Examples of fatalism in a Sentence

Many people seem to have developed a sense of fatalism about the war.
Recent Examples on the Web Speaking of everyone dying, are there any scenarios where fatalism might be reasonable? Lee Billings, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2024 Their story as a couple did end, soon afterward… probably less romantically than the beautiful fatalism the song itself is enveloped in. Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024 Is our fatalism undercutting our capacity to tackle this problem? Sean Illing, Vox, 29 Sep. 2024 Hass, in the end, gave in to a reluctant fatalism: Jewish-Palestinian solidarity might be too fragile to withstand the war. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fatalism 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fatalism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatalism was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near fatalism

Cite this Entry

“Fatalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatalism. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

fatalism

noun
fa·​tal·​ism ˈfāt-ᵊl-ˌiz-əm How to pronounce fatalism (audio)
: the belief or attitude that events are decided in advance by powers beyond one's control
fatalist noun
fatalistic adjective
fatalistically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on fatalism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!