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
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 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
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Essentially, a defeatist tone was set once Shaheed zoomed through the 49ers on his 95-yard kick return, eluding Chase Lucas, Luke Gifford and, alas, kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who tried to trip Shaheed at the 55-yard line.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 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
The mood just feels a little defeatist right now.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatist
Adjective
-
Near the end of the movie, there’s a heavy sense of dread—everyone feels hopeless, and exhausted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Here is the regular guy who loves shooting hoops, who is hopeless with a hammer, who loves a self-deprecating story about walking into a glass wall or almost falling off a ladder, and whose wife, Lori, is always, always right.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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By the late chapters, Daphne and her contemporaries, now old, seem to remember less about those days with Cecil than does the reader, who came through them recently—an inspired way of calling forth the novel-ness of the novel without breaking the realist’s line.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
31 Dec. 2025
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Since Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet associated with responsibilities, boundaries and restrictions, those born under the sign are realists.—
Olivia Munson,
USA Today,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, the county’s business community is feeling cynical about the state of the economy, with two-thirds of merchants reporting a negative future outlook, the study’s authors said.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The interior dining room, divided into two levels and connected by a slowly sloping ramp, could at first cynical glance register as backdrop.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a real life departure, cynics would say, truth is rewarded in the tests.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The belief by cynics is that Netflix wants to be a streaming service.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Underlying this low score is a sharp pessimistic turn regarding short-term progress.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
That, combined with the government’s own sluggish labor market data, has left Americans increasingly pessimistic about the economy.—
Matt Ott,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The pessimist would say the school can't win.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
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But Gioia is hardly a pessimist, focusing equally on the long view and the cyclical nature of cultural innovation and decline.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatist. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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