as in cynical
having or showing a belief that the future is determined and cannot be changed
His fatalistic outlook resulted in a lack of motivation to pursue a career.
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Recent Examples of fatalistic
When the voyeur and his subject begin physically to interact, there is low-key suspense, a hint of danger and a fatalistic romantic current fed by their growing mutual curiosity.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Blowing a 3-0 lead in an elimination game was a kick in the shins worthy of this most fatalistic of sports markets.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Beats that might once have been framed through a hazy, absurdist lens now play as something much more fatalistic and frightening.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
Most people have a very fatalistic view of their age.
—Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2026
Known for his spare, unforgiving style and darkly comic fatalistic sensibility, along with his penchant for leather jackets, lots of smoking and a deadpan sense of humor, Tarr was a quintessential arthouse filmmaker.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
There was this kind of fatalistic view that there was not that much that could be done.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
Navarro is an expert at navigating the surreal, fatalistic way the captain thinks of herself.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Dreaming was a new pastime in a country long considered fatalistic.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Blowing a 3-0 lead in an elimination game was a kick in the shins worthy of this most fatalistic of sports markets.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Beats that might once have been framed through a hazy, absurdist lens now play as something much more fatalistic and frightening.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
Most people have a very fatalistic view of their age.
—Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Feb. 2026
Known for his spare, unforgiving style and darkly comic fatalistic sensibility, along with his penchant for leather jackets, lots of smoking and a deadpan sense of humor, Tarr was a quintessential arthouse filmmaker.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
There was this kind of fatalistic view that there was not that much that could be done.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
Navarro is an expert at navigating the surreal, fatalistic way the captain thinks of herself.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Dreaming was a new pastime in a country long considered fatalistic.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatalistic
Adjective
-
To start the second half, Australia captain Henry Hutchison made a try-saving tackle on Tristan Leyds, who was then sin-binned for a cynical foul.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
His social commentary reflected disgust with the unfettered capitalism of the Gilded Age, and his cynical aphorisms became widely quoted.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Republicans can be convinced that negative stories about their candidates are media put-ons, and Democrats are a little envious that their voters haven’t adopted the same attitude of ignore, fight, move on, maybe sue.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
The system features an open architecture that pairs a pure lithium metal negative electrode directly with ambient oxygen drawn from the surrounding atmosphere to act as the positive electrode reactant.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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