nihilistic

adjective

as in cynical

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Example Sentences

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 nihilistic Spinks has spent years investigating and documenting nihilistic violent extremists and reported Spitze’s concerning online footprint to law enforcement. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026 What comes off as cavalier risk-taking is really a cover for something much more nihilistic. — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026 Swatting is just one criminal element associated with 764, which federal authorities have characterized as a network of nihilistic violent extremists. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 Casting Gen Z’s reactions as nihilistic obscures the values and institutional distrust connected to them and fails to appreciate their egalitarian and pragmatic ideals. — Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 Especially as a Black woman, it was definitely perceived as nihilistic. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 July 2026 There was this idea, obviously mainly from white people, but also from a section of the Black community, that the film was just too extreme, violent, and nihilistic. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 July 2026 There’s also a nihilistic tilt to singles off Charli’s new album Music, Fashion, Film. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026 Investigators are continuing to build a picture of the two suspects in the deadly Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego which killed three people, and which law enforcement officials say may have been driven by nihilistic and accelerationist extremism. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nihilistic
  1. cynical
  2. fatalistic
  3. nihilist
  4. pessimistic
Adjective
  • One big call was to yellow card Marco van Staden for cynical play on his tryline, superseding a high tackle by New Zealand captain Ardie Savea on Wiese.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The cynical reality is that Republicans don’t even need to turn down tech company donations to campaign on their newly pragmatic identities.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • 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
  • With its fourth chapter, Reacher goes full neo-noir, embracing the genre’s fatalistic, gloomy approach while staying true to its action roots.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatalistic
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
Definition of nihilist
Adjective
  • Barcelona are pessimistic about their chances of landing Julian Alvarez.
    — Pol Ballús, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Some have made videos inspired by 2010s memes, others have celebrated the return of a platform that hearkens back to a time when many felt less pessimistic about the role of social media in their lives.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of pessimistic

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Cite this Entry

“Nihilistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nihilistic. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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