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
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
The future, whether fatalistic or progressive, isn’t certain.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
To most modern peoples the idea would represent a secular analogue to quietism, fatalistic and Luddite.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
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
The future, whether fatalistic or progressive, isn’t certain.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
To most modern peoples the idea would represent a secular analogue to quietism, fatalistic and Luddite.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatalistic
Adjective
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The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Is Alec’s folksiness sincere or cynical?—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In a recent Instagram post, Kardashian laughed off negative reviews of the show, which also stars Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts and Glenn Close, has been receiving from fans.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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People with a nonfunctioning ANGPTL3 gene — which Natarajan says applies to about 1 in 250 people in the US — have lifelong levels of low LDL cholesterol and triglycerides without any apparent negative consequences.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
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