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
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
That was like a very sort of fatalistic view.
—Outside Online, 1 Oct. 2025
Back on Capitol Hill, the mood is dour and fatalistic.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Herzog resists making a hero out of Messner, who can seem subject to a darkly fatalistic drive.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2025
This is another fatalistic image of the single track on which homosexual desire is condemned to run, love inevitably curdling into hatred.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
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
That was like a very sort of fatalistic view.
—Outside Online, 1 Oct. 2025
Back on Capitol Hill, the mood is dour and fatalistic.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Herzog resists making a hero out of Messner, who can seem subject to a darkly fatalistic drive.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2025
This is another fatalistic image of the single track on which homosexual desire is condemned to run, love inevitably curdling into hatred.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatalistic
Adjective
-
Craig Robinson is Reggie’s nemesis, as the aforementioned Jerry Basmati, a rival player (and cynical Christian), who inherited the post-gridiron media career Reggie imagined for himself.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
To some leaders of the Council, President Harry Truman’s early recognition of the Jewish state in 1948 was not a great human-rights advance but a cynical gambit to pander to a bloc of voters and improve his chance of being reëlected in 1948.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Her outlook may not change, but right now the substance of your friendship — at least from your perspective — is all negative.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Her outlook may not change, but right now the substance of your friendship – at least from your perspective – is all negative.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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