as in cynical
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Recent Examples of nihilistic
One such critic has crashed the party, and his nihilistic spirit is made vivid by Warren Bowles.
—
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
Suspects in several high-profile mass shooting events in recent years allegedly used Discord to announce their actions or trade in violent or nihilistic content there.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Henderson, a black 17-year-old student, identified as incel and expressed antisemitic, nihilistic, and occult beliefs, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
Later, after additional details emerged, still others said the shooter was motivated by nihilistic video game culture.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
The shooter's social media footprint fits into a new wave of online extremism and suggests he was involved in nihilistic violent extremist networks, which often aim to exploit children and teenagers and push them toward violence, experts told The Post.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
The state of alienation that permeates and infuses Camus’ prose is the missing ingredient here and, without it, Meursault cuts a very different figure — less adrift in ennui and more intentionally nihilistic.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Before Dean Moriarty in On the Road and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, there was Meursault, the nihilistic antihero of Albert Camus’ first novel, The Stranger (L’étranger), and one of modern culture’s original bad boys.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
The director is at the top of his visionary nihilistic game in a movie about what’s happening to the world.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
Suspects in several high-profile mass shooting events in recent years allegedly used Discord to announce their actions or trade in violent or nihilistic content there.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Henderson, a black 17-year-old student, identified as incel and expressed antisemitic, nihilistic, and occult beliefs, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
Later, after additional details emerged, still others said the shooter was motivated by nihilistic video game culture.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
The shooter's social media footprint fits into a new wave of online extremism and suggests he was involved in nihilistic violent extremist networks, which often aim to exploit children and teenagers and push them toward violence, experts told The Post.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
The state of alienation that permeates and infuses Camus’ prose is the missing ingredient here and, without it, Meursault cuts a very different figure — less adrift in ennui and more intentionally nihilistic.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Before Dean Moriarty in On the Road and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, there was Meursault, the nihilistic antihero of Albert Camus’ first novel, The Stranger (L’étranger), and one of modern culture’s original bad boys.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
The director is at the top of his visionary nihilistic game in a movie about what’s happening to the world.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nihilistic
Adjective
-
The director plays up the humor a lot more than Westlake’s callously cynical prose, for better or worse.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
When the fortune teller’s predictions start to materialize, once cynical Gemma is ready to take a leap of faith.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Adjective
-
There’s no nihilist energy in the song.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Michael Futter Founder, F-Squared But not all analysts are pessimistic.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Looking ahead, Gallup is pessimistic about a recovery.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nihilistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nihilistic. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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