as in pessimism
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Recent Examples of defeatism
And yet, as the deadline loomed, there were also legitimate reasons to temper such defeatism.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2025
By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.
—Ed Simon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
This state of mind is defeatism in disguise, capitulating to discord, disorder, and defeat without even joining the battle.
—Karen Neff, Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2025
This defeatism has been supported by a second, equally pernicious assumption: that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to subjugating Ukraine cannot be deterred.
—Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2025
By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.
—Ed Simon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
This state of mind is defeatism in disguise, capitulating to discord, disorder, and defeat without even joining the battle.
—Karen Neff, Christian Science Monitor, 25 July 2025
This defeatism has been supported by a second, equally pernicious assumption: that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment to subjugating Ukraine cannot be deterred.
—Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatism
Noun
-
For example, studies show that the mechanisms for both optimism and pessimism lie in opposite parts of the brain, with the right hemisphere primarily driving pessimism and the left primarily driving optimism.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
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The pessimism exists for good reason, as Brazil’s journey to the World Cup was characterized by scandals off the pitch and underperformance on it.—
Emile Nuh,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Wooden, in his letter of resignation, echoed a letter from former Pension Commission Chairman Joshua Gottfried, who was removed from the commission by Sierra in April.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
16 June 2026
-
The national team has yet to confirm the resignation, which has been reported by some of the media covering the South Korean squad in Guadalajara.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatism. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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