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
-
This adaptation of the popular RPG could have been a cynical cash grab, but writer-directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley chose the right approach by crafting a loving tribute to what makes the game so addictive without taking it too seriously.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Jan. 2026
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Daria The monotone, cynical, ultimate critic of suburban life, popularity, and high school.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The past week first showed some negative implications and then some reversals.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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Trade groups across the media and entertainment industry have sounded the alarm over both bids, warning that further consolidation in the industry could result in job losses and less diversity in content -- with particularly negative consequences for filmmaking.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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