defeatists

plural of defeatist
as in realists
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatists
Noun
  • Smarmy cynics will call them foolish for their foolhardy ambitions.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
  • All one needs is to read the headlines today, 45 years down the road, to see that sometimes cynics have a point.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Optimists climb the career ladder faster and farther than pessimists.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • So far, all signs indicate that the pessimists were right.
    Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defeatists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatists. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!