NIHILIST Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

nihilist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of nihilist

as in nihilistic

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nihilist

2 of 2

noun

as in fatalist

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nihilist

Adjective

Advertisement Just as Nietzsche warned of the dangers of a nihilist moral void leading to societal decay, the current disregard for responsible data practices could erode trust in institutions and perpetuate systemic inequalities. — Alice Xiang, Time, 6 May 2026 Our impressively multicultural team of street racers now freelance in the shadowy and complex world of covert ops, jetting around the world to take down an increasingly unhinged array of nihilist supervillains. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 Shooter left notes, symbols, nihilist writings Investigators located the scene where the suspect sparked the fire to set his ambush. — Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 Blood Meridian throws out the Western trope of good versus evil in favor of a nihilist view of a world consumed by violence. — Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026 Benjamin Voisin won Best Actor for his performance as the novel’s nihilist protagonist Meursault. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026 There’s no nihilist energy in the song. — David Browne, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025

Noun

Life has beaten down Weisman’s Jake Levinson, once the radical front man of a bad Rage Against the Machine clone, into a dead-eyed nihilist. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026 As criminal cases have increased against members of violent nihilist groups, related abuse reports have also risen. — Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026 Sirāt was the only Neon contender to miss out on a Best Picture spot at the Globes (its noms came in Non-English Language and Score), adding to the feeling that this nihilist epic is the title most at risk of missing with Oscar. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025 The activist Left is, in truth, nihilist. — Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nihilist

Adjective

For many, the former Harvard professor was the face of the psychedelic revolution — brilliant but manic, addictive, paranoid, nihilistic, and antiestablishment.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
In Bird and Goldmark’s account (these collaborators are also married), the nihilistic, amoral, duplicitous, power-seeking Roy Marcus Cohn makes Niccolò Machiavelli seem like a rank amateur.

— Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of nihilistic

Adjective

Swarup’s book exposes the cynical nature of the quiz show, dangling a literal lifeline to desperate people for the sake of entertainment.

— L.M. Chilton, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026
Myriad people inside Warner Bros are cynical about the capping of severances and the fact that only a few at the top are bound for a post-merger windfall.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of cynical

Noun

Williams led the Bears to an NFC North title and a playoff victory last season, but some cynics think the Bears are due for a regression this season.

— Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
That the earnestness the genre requires galls us cynics, who love to hide in our books, away from all those pesky bodies in the first place?

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of cynic

Adjective

But Still Coming Down isn’t a fatalistic album as a whole, just a pragmatic one.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026
The film follows Niaz (Bakhtadze), a once-famous star of Georgian cinema who embarks on a bizarre and fatalistic odyssey of self-transformation, after an unsettling audition with a young female director looking to cast him in a minor part.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of fatalistic

Noun

The final batch continues to focus on the generations of the Buendía family living amid political infighting in Macondo while building up to the magical-realist masterpiece’s tragic end.

— Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Ever the realist, Cox does know and freely admits his athlete’s distance preferences.

— Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of realist

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“Nihilist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nihilist. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nihilist

adjective

noun

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