fatalistic

American  

[feyt-l-is-tik] / ˌfeɪt lˈɪs tɪk /

Also fatalist

adjective

1. demonstrating a belief that all events are inevitable, so one’s choices and actions make no difference.

   Fear, uncertainty, and a feeling of powerlessness contribute to a fatalistic attitude among many refugees when it comes to seeking justice.

2. Philosophy. advancing the idea that all events are naturally predetermined or subject to fate.

   A fatalistic view, which denies the possibility of free will, makes some sense scientifically.

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Other Word Forms

• fatalistically adverb
• nonfatalistic adjective
• quasi‐fatalistic adjective
• quasi‐fatalistically adverb
• unfatalistic adjective
• unfatalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of fatalistic

fatalist ( def. ) + -ic

Example Sentences

Still, he urged students not to be fatalistic about it.

From Barron's

I do not say this to be fatalistic.

From The Wall Street Journal

They’re a rejoinder to all the fatalistic commentary about tanking and how “being bad to get better” is an accepted reality of the NBA.

From The Wall Street Journal

But while Mother Russia’s not involved, you can almost hear her fatalistically moaning, “Just don’t bother!”

From The Wall Street Journal

If anything, such a war has been eerily normalized in our collective consciousness and we’ve become remarkably numb to and fatalistic about it.

From Salon

Related Words

• bleak
• depressed
• despondent
• discouraged
• gloomy
• glum
• sad