defeatism

[ dih-fee-tiz-uhm ]

/ dɪˈfi tɪz əm /

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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.

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Origin of defeatism

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

Words nearby defeatism

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use defeatism in a sentence

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