nihilistic

adjective

as in cynical

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 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 Looksmaxxing embraces superficiality and body dysmorphia, an alarmingly nihilistic online trend that prioritizes physical attractiveness above all else. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 In season three, this argument has largely taken a cynical, nihilistic turn. — The Editors, Vulture, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nihilistic
  1. cynical
  2. fatalistic
  3. nihilist
  4. pessimistic
Adjective
  • The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has had a rough year, and in a cynical way, that makes for great TV.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynical
Adjective
  • The mystery character, played by Sadie Sink, is also dealing with her own demons of loss and fatalistic desperation.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • But her grandfather Andrew Viterbi had a very different perspective, somewhere between fatalistic and hopeful.
    — Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 27 July 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
  • The six most pessimistic fan bases in the Power 4 last August went on to cheer for teams that finished with losing records.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The findings reflect a deeply pessimistic economic mood as the country heads to the November midterm elections.
    — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of pessimistic

Browse Nearby Words

nihilist
nihilistic
nihilists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nihilistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nihilistic. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All