Synonyms

fatalistic

American

[feyt-l-is-tik] / ˌfeɪt lˈɪs tɪk /

Also fatalist

adjective

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.
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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of fatalistic

fatalist ( def. ) + -ic

Explanation

Use the adjective fatalistic to describe someone who believes outcomes are determined in advance and can't be changed. If you think there’s no way you can pass your math exam and studying won’t change anything, then you’re fatalistic. When you pronounce fatalistic, you can hear the word fate. That’s a clue that fatalistic is in some way related to fate — as in destiny. A fatalistic person believes in destiny: whatever is meant to happen will happen. Fatalistic often relates to bad things. If someone has a fatalistic attitude toward a situation, chances are that means the person is expecting things to turn out badly and sees no point in trying to change that outcome.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing fatalistic

To Kill a Mockingbird

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The Diary of a Young Girl

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In the Time of the Butterflies

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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.

I do not say this to be fatalistic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

For the Portuguese adventure, "we added something very very specific to the Portuguese people -- 'saudade' -- this somewhat fatalistic melancholy," Fabcaro told AFP.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

And while there is nothing fatalistic about such imperial fantasies that translate the past into the present, they often echo in the repertoire of the influential and powerful.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2025

Mays, in the time I’ve known him, has been realistic rather than fatalistic.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2025

I could see Terry becoming more fatalistic about our predicament.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

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