defeatism

[dih-fee-tiz-uh m]

See more 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.

Origin of defeatism

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for defeatism

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
Even the Taliban picked it up as a supposed sign of American defeatism.
Inside Holbrooke's War With the White House
The Daily Beast
January 14, 2011

Historical Examples

But not because of any anti-life attitude, or pessimism, or defeatism.
The Victor
Bryce Walton
The army was demoralized and saturated with the defeatism preached by the Porazhentsi.
Bolshevism
John Spargo
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

British Dictionary definitions for defeatism

defeatism

noun

a ready acceptance or expectation of defeat

Derived Formsdefeatist, 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

Word Origin and History for defeatism

n.

1918; see defeatist.

defeatism

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}defeatism

Related Words

Examples from the Web for defeatism

Contemporary Examples

Third, pulling out before any real efforts have been tried sends a message of hopelessness and defeatism more than anything else.

It was a country that had succumbed to paralysis and defeatism and nostalgia.

It seems at this point that dysfunction and defeatism are institutionally baked into the culture of the team.

For decades since, Britain has exercised its political resentments in the defeatism of the sporting field.

Even the Taliban picked it up as a supposed sign of American defeatism.

Historical Examples

But not because of any anti-life attitude, or pessimism, or defeatism.

The army was demoralized and saturated with the defeatism preached by the Porazhentsi.

Some in our midst have sought to instill a feeling of fear and defeatism in the minds of the American people about this problem.

To face the task of finding jobs faster than invention can take them away--is not defeatism.

defeatism

Word Origin and History for defeatism

n.

Origin of defeatism