as in hopeless
emphasizing or expecting the worst
your defeatist attitude is depressing everyone else on the team!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in realist
one who emphasizes bad aspects or conditions and expects the worst
we told her that if she was going to be such a defeatist, she should keep her thoughts to herself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defeatist
Jim Costa, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
Job seekers can game this defeatist death-spiral by recalculating their measure of success.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
China’s internet regulators have launched a campaign targeting online content that promotes negativity, pessimism, or defeatist attitudes and are urging netizens to report posts that violate these new standards.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The prime minister’s far-right political allies, on the other hand, have accused the chief of staff of leading a weak and defeatist approach that is preventing victory over Hamas, the officials said.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The mood just feels a little defeatist right now.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
This defeatist thinking is misguided and assumes action will be futile.
—Jim Costa, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
Job seekers can game this defeatist death-spiral by recalculating their measure of success.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2025
China’s internet regulators have launched a campaign targeting online content that promotes negativity, pessimism, or defeatist attitudes and are urging netizens to report posts that violate these new standards.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The prime minister’s far-right political allies, on the other hand, have accused the chief of staff of leading a weak and defeatist approach that is preventing victory over Hamas, the officials said.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
Now there is a British tendency to be slightly defeatist.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The mood just feels a little defeatist right now.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatist
Adjective
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Wearing what’s possibly the most embarrassing bridal headdress in the history of nuptials, Suzanna looks even more helpless and hopeless.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Young people feel hopeless about their ability to buy a home, start a business, or raise a family.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the network is a literal series of trains, waystations, and safe houses — a magical realist gesture from Whitehead’s book that Jenkins brings to striking life here.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Regulation Sandbox There is a geopolitical dimension here that appeals to resource realists.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Critics have accused the company’s AI researcher, co-founder, and CEO, Dario Amodei, of a cynical attempt to block competition.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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Houellebecq is a famously cynical figure, and an odd bedfellow for Dreher.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This is not a home for doomers, cynics, or know-it-alls.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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In a real life departure, cynics would say, truth is rewarded in the tests.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Over the last several years, inflation, domestic conflict, economic uncertainty, and political upheaval have made many Americans feel more pessimistic about the future.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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Glaucon’s characterization anticipates the Hobbesian view of the world—pessimistic and fearful of what unsocialized humans in the state of nature can do to each other.—
Paul Rosenzweig,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Maybe people listen to them, but the pessimist doesn’t have followers.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The pessimist would say the school can't win.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatist. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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