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
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
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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Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The reason is simple, if cynical.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The inflation hammering households is primarily due to the weak yen that the Abe government orchestrated with negative interest rates and massive monetary easing, causing a surge in energy and food prices that pinches voters’ wallets.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
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The website, though, shows a negative subtotal of more than $2 million, suggesting money allocated to the grant that was unspent.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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