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
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Recent Examples of defeatist
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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatist
Adjective
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The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
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Since then, the song has been yearned for by hopeless romantics on TikTok, with videos featuring the song racking up millions of views, similar to the ones Iris posted herself.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ever the geopolitical realist, the Chinese president will know Modi’s presence at his banquet was opportunistic at best, and doesn’t indicate the start of a beautiful friendship.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
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Even John Mearsheimer, the leading realist voice on Ukraine, concedes these demands are non-negotiable—but deeply unacceptable to Kyiv and its allies.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
When the fortune teller’s predictions start to materialize, once cynical Gemma is ready to take a leap of faith.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, skeptics and cynics tend to be insistent right now that the clean-up activity is not going to last very long.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Travis Kelce knows what the cynics might think of his relationship with Taylor Swift — two of the most famous people in America just happen to match up perfectly?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Futter Founder, F-Squared But not all analysts are pessimistic.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
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Looking ahead, Gallup is pessimistic about a recovery.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For the pessimists, Coreweave is Lucent or Nortel.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
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But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatist. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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