defeatism

[ dih-fee-tiz-uhm ]

/ dɪˈfi tɪz əm /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for defeatism on Thesaurus.com

noun

the attitude, policy, or conduct of a person who admits, expects, or no longer resists defeat, as because of a conviction that further struggle or effort is futile; pessimistic resignation.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of defeatism

1915–20; defeat + -ism, modeled on French défaitisme

Words nearby defeatism

defeasance, defease, defeasible, defeat, defeated, defeatism, defeatist, defeature, defecate, defecation, defect

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use defeatism in a sentence

Defeatism is easy, but it’s an abdication of responsibility and it won’t get us anywhere.
Why We Shouldn't Write Off COP26 Before It's Even Started|Paul Polman|October 27, 2021|Time
It is a third way that avoids both complacency and defeatism, and we should wear the term with pride.
Why I’m a proud solutionist|Jason Crawford|July 13, 2021|MIT Technology Review
In 1970, Paul Ehrlich reinforced the defeatism, saying that in a few years “further efforts will be futile” and “you may as well look after yourself and your friends and enjoy what little time you have left.”
Why I’m a proud solutionist|Jason Crawford|July 13, 2021|MIT Technology Review
I worry there’s a sense of defeatism or giving up on the South, but this is simply not an option.
Here’s Who’s Facing a Nightmare ‘Vaxx Summer’|Peter J. Hotez|June 11, 2021|The Daily Beast

The post-dinner conversations of staffers and policy-makers was seamed with shame, and even defeatism.
Indefensible but Indispensable America|Jamie Dettmer|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Third, pulling out before any real efforts have been tried sends a message of hopelessness and defeatism more than anything else.
Livni's Ill-Advised Threat Against Bibi|Brent E. Sasley|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was a country that had succumbed to paralysis and defeatism and nostalgia.
How Margaret Thatcher Saved Britain and Changed the World|David Frum|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It seems at this point that dysfunction and defeatism are institutionally baked into the culture of the team.
Washington’s True Dysfunction: Basketball’s Woeful Wizards|Lloyd Grove|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For decades since, Britain has exercised its political resentments in the defeatism of the sporting field.
Take a Bow, London: The Olympics Were a Triumph|Peter Jukes|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One of the troubles in dealing with any problem is routing defeatism and hopelessness.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis|Melvin Powers
But not because of any anti-life attitude, or pessimism, or defeatism.
The Victor|Bryce Walton
Some in our midst have sought to instill a feeling of fear and defeatism in the minds of the American people about this problem.
State of the Union Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt
To face the task of finding jobs faster than invention can take them away--is not defeatism.
State of the Union Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt
The army was demoralized and saturated with the defeatism preached by the Porazhentsi.
Bolshevism|John Spargo

British Dictionary definitions for defeatism

defeatism

/ (dɪˈfiːtɪzəm) /

noun

a ready acceptance or expectation of defeat

Derived forms of defeatism

defeatist, noun, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

defeatism

Origin of defeatism

Words nearby defeatism

Words related to defeatism

How to use defeatism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for defeatism

Derived forms of defeatism