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Synonyms

defeatism

American  
[dih-fee-tiz-uhm] / dɪˈfi tɪz əm /

noun

  1. 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.

defeatism British  
/ dɪˈfiːtɪzəm /

noun

  1. a ready acceptance or expectation of defeat

"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

Other Word Forms

  • defeatist noun

Etymology

Origin of defeatism

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s why neither defeatism nor triumphalism is convincing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

It may be tempting to slide into defeatism.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

And he slammed cadres who for "too long been accustomed to defeatism, irresponsibility and passiveness".

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

It was a comment seized upon by Russia as a sign of resignation and defeatism.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

The discovery that we are, as one investigator phrased it, living in a “sea of carcinogens” is of course dismaying and may easily lead to reactions of despair and defeatism.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.