nihilism

noun

ni·hil·ism ˈnī-(h)ə-ˌli-zəm

ˈnē-

: a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless

Nihilism is a condition in which all ultimate values lose their value.—

Ronald H. Nash

: a doctrine that denies any objective ground of truth and especially of moral truths

: a doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility

capitalized : the program of a 19th century Russian party advocating revolutionary reform and using terrorism and assassination

nihilist

ˈnī-(h)ə-list

ˈnē-

noun or adjective

nihilistic

ˌnī-(h)ə-ˈli-stik

ˌnē-

adjective

Examples of nihilism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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But for me, at least, all these resets have also introduced a kind of time-travel nihilism: If the world is constantly getting rebooted anyway, who cares if the Umbrella Academy saves it? —

Scott Meslow, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2024 The satisfaction of nihilism is not just in his head but before our eyes. —

Armond White, National Review, 29 Nov. 2024 One of 5 Segond’s leaders, a Fagin-like figure named Manno who is wanted by U.S. authorities for kidnapping, explained how dismal prospects have fueled a culture of nihilism and swollen his gang’s ranks. —

Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024 At their best, these leaders make up an idealistic safeguard against the rampant disinformation, foreign interference, and just base political nihilism that is clogging the conversations about whether the vote tallies this week can be trusted. —

Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nihilism