as in pessimism
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Recent Examples of defeatism
The title is the central theme, brilliantly and often shockingly rendered via a series of lightly connected stories that mine the depths of defeatism, nihilism, and alienation.
—
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024
The defeatism that has come to define the way that many young people today perceive the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not really part of her vocabulary.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Some climate scientists prefer to call it climate defeatism instead, and others have called doom the new climate denial because of how disempowering its black-and-white logic is: There is nothing to be done to stop climate collapse, so why bother trying?
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2024
The billionaire founder’s defeatism—and private contemplation about leaving the U.S.—are shared by a cadre of wealthy Democratic Party backers, who have been left licking their wounds and trying to move forward after Harris’s defeat, the Times reported.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024
The defeatism that has come to define the way that many young people today perceive the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not really part of her vocabulary.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Some climate scientists prefer to call it climate defeatism instead, and others have called doom the new climate denial because of how disempowering its black-and-white logic is: There is nothing to be done to stop climate collapse, so why bother trying?
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2024
The billionaire founder’s defeatism—and private contemplation about leaving the U.S.—are shared by a cadre of wealthy Democratic Party backers, who have been left licking their wounds and trying to move forward after Harris’s defeat, the Times reported.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatism
Noun
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The vigilante narrative imagines markets populated by sellers only, except that a seller requires a buyer to transact on his, her or – gasp – some computer’s pessimism about the quality of future government income streams.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
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Reinforcing this historical Chinese pessimism toward the United States is an increasingly widespread and firm belief sustained by the Chinese Communist Party that Washington is committed to containing and weakening China as a nation in order to sustain its own global hegemonic power.—
Michael Swaine,
Twin Cities,
17 May 2025
Noun
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His forthcoming resignation was first reported by Punchbowl News.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
9 June 2025
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In accordance with the Company’s director resignation policy, on June 5, 2025, Mr. Hoag offered his resignation from the Board, conditioned upon Board acceptance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatism. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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