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
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Overall, the county’s business community is feeling cynical about the state of the economy, with two-thirds of merchants reporting a negative future outlook, the study’s authors said.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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The interior dining room, divided into two levels and connected by a slowly sloping ramp, could at first cynical glance register as backdrop.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And one of the main lessons that will be learned from that account is that while the harms that occurred came quickly and sometimes surprisingly easily, their negative consequences — on universities and society at large — will linger for a long time.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The rapid rise of AI technology has had negative effects on the climate and humanity, albeit indirectly.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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