Etymology
Origin of defeatist
Explanation
Having a defeatist attitude means that you give up before you've even started, like the runner who is so convinced he's going to lose the race that he doesn't even bother to go to the starting line. A defeatist is the opposite of an optimist. A defeatist is convinced that he's going to fail, and he isn't surprised when he does fail. This is how a defeatist might propose to his girlfriend: "I'm sure you're going to say 'no,' so why don't you just go ahead and reject me now."
Vocabulary lists containing defeatist
Internment
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The Boy Who Dared
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Dame Maggie Smith (1934–2024) Tribute List
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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.
None of this means the defeatist narrative is correct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
This attempt to reassert the old order has been fractured, ineffective and at times defeatist, according to interviews with sources in or around the push to defeat Mamdani conducted over the months since the primary.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2025
The UK's never going to attract world-class talent if all we do is look down on the contest and approach it with a defeatist attitude.
From BBC ● May 17, 2025
Her words might sound defeatist, but her tone is resolute.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
In my view, then, it was rather defeatist from a vocational standpoint to adopt a stance like Mr Graham's.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
