defeatism
noun
de·feat·ism
di-ˈfē-ˌti-zəm 
dē-
: an attitude of accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat
Examples of defeatism in a Sentence
We must not give in to defeatism. We must be optimistic.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shot entirely in France, the movie renders its ideas of romantic melancholy and Agathe’s default romantic defeatism in ways that reassure the audience every second.
—
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Yet just as past bouts of defeatism were misguided, so is today’s triumphalism, which risks dangerously underestimating both the latent and actual power of the only competitor in a century whose GDP has surpassed 70 percent of that of the United States.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2025
Blind pessimism becomes defeatism, a denial that solutions are possible.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
The defeatism that has come to define the way that many young people today perceive the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not really part of her vocabulary.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
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Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Yet just as past bouts of defeatism were misguided, so is today’s triumphalism, which risks dangerously underestimating both the latent and actual power of the only competitor in a century whose GDP has surpassed 70 percent of that of the United States.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2025
Blind pessimism becomes defeatism, a denial that solutions are possible.
—Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025
The defeatism that has come to define the way that many young people today perceive the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not really part of her vocabulary.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Cite this Entry
“Defeatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defeatism. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
defeatism
noun
de·feat·ism
di-ˈfēt-ˌiz-əm
: an attitude of expecting defeat or of accepting defeat with the belief that further effort would be useless
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