fatalism

American  

[feyt-l-iz-uhm] / ˈfeɪt lˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable; submission to fate.

   Her fatalism helped her to face death with stoic calm.

2. Philosophy. the doctrine that all events are subject to fate or inevitable predetermination.

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fatalism British  

/ ˈfeɪtəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the philosophical doctrine that all events are predetermined so that man is powerless to alter his destiny

2. the acceptance of and submission to this doctrine

3. a lack of effort or action in the face of difficulty

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Other Word Forms

• fatalist noun
• fatalistic adjective
• fatalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of fatalism

First recorded in 1670–80; fatal + -ism

Compare meaning

How does fatalism compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• fatalism vs. determinism

Explanation

People who exhibit fatalism appear powerless to shape their own future: they believe only in fate. I sense the fatalism in you, but you CAN change things! You can see and hear the word "fate" in the word fatalism. It means "destiny" — the notion that all things are meant to be and that there is nothing you can do to change them. Someone "fatalistic" — who displays fatalism — sees life as a series of inevitable, predetermined events. Often, this term is used negatively to describe someone who refuses to try to shape their own lives or who gives up too easily. Fatalism may in fact be a logical response to life, but that's no reason not to try to change things!

Example Sentences

In other hands, a film of such unadorned fatalism might seem useless, an exercise in emotional sadism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The idea that “there will be no victor or vanquished” is not poetic fatalism, it is empirical reality.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

The fatalism, the quarter of a century of not contending, the grinding down of expectation.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

But it cleared the fog of legal fatalism and said, at least, that the possibility of truth still has standing.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2025

There was a dignity to her grief and an acceptance of the fait accompli—the fatalism that the pilot’s wife must beget whenever her mate forsakes her for his aircraft.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy