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fatalism

[feyt-l-iz-uh m]
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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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Origin of fatalism

First recorded in 1670–80; fatal + -ism
Related formsfa·tal·ist, nounfa·tal·is·tic, adjectivefa·tal·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·fa·tal·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-fa·tal·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-fa·tal·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·fa·tal·is·tic, adjectiveun·fa·tal·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confuseddeterminism fatalism necessitarianism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fatalistically

Historical Examples

  • He abandoned himself hopelessly, fatalistically to his destiny.

    Crome Yellow

    Aldous Huxley

  • "Shore, they'll be somethin' doin' to-day," said Jim, fatalistically.

  • "They'll all be devils," returned Mrs. Nitschkan fatalistically.

    The Black Pearl

    Mrs. Wilson Woodrow

  • Adela Sellingworth is said to have behaved most fatalistically when the story came out.

    December Love

    Robert Hichens

  • But the old woman said often, fatalistically, "They will not always escape—but it will be for France."

    The Tin Soldier

    Temple Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for fatalistically

fatalism

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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Derived Formsfatalist, nounfatalistic, adjectivefatalistically, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for fatalistically

fatalism

n.

1670s, from fatal + -ism.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
fatalistically in Culture

fatalism

The belief that events are determined by an impersonal fate and cannot be changed by human beings. Fatalism is a form of determinism.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.