fatalism
noun
fa·tal·ism
ˈfā-tə-ˌli-zəm 
: a doctrine that events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them
also
: a belief in or attitude determined by this doctrine
fatalism that regards social problems as simply inevitable
Examples of fatalism in a Sentence
Many people seem to have developed a sense of fatalism about the war.
Recent Examples on the Web
The way that Pliny saw it, astrology was small-minded fatalism, in which people glommed onto meaningless symbols for a sense of identity.
—
Maya Layne, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
These steps will be necessary but not sufficient to pierce the growing fatalism regarding a crisis, given Beijing’s hardening belief that the United States seeks to contain China and will use Taiwan to that end.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2022
The book described a responsible capitalism free of zero-sum fatalism, and visionary enough to embrace a modernizing global north and south (and racially equitable United States).
—New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
For starters, van der Lugt writes, pessimism is not the same as fatalism.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatalism
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Maya Layne, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
These steps will be necessary but not sufficient to pierce the growing fatalism regarding a crisis, given Beijing’s hardening belief that the United States seeks to contain China and will use Taiwan to that end.
—Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2022
The book described a responsible capitalism free of zero-sum fatalism, and visionary enough to embrace a modernizing global north and south (and racially equitable United States).
—New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
For starters, van der Lugt writes, pessimism is not the same as fatalism.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatalism
Cite this Entry
“Fatalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatalism. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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fatalism
noun
fa·tal·ism
ˈfāt-ᵊl-ˌiz-əm
: the belief or attitude that events are decided in advance by powers beyond one's control
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