fatalist
Americannoun
-
a person who believes that all events are inevitable, so one’s choices and actions make no difference.
Protest or not, the odds seem stacked against the likelihood of change, so should we be fatalists and go off to the beach instead?
-
Philosophy. a person who advances the idea that all events are naturally predetermined or subject to fate.
Despite his teaching that class conflict is inevitable, observers contend that Marx was not a fatalist about historical change.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of fatalist
First recorded in 1640–50; fatal(ism) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )
Explanation
A fatalist is someone who feels that no matter what he or she does, the outcome will be the same because it's predetermined. Fatalists share a sense of being powerless to change the world. In philosophy, a fatalist is someone who holds specific beliefs about life, destiny, and the future. Fatalists share the certainty that fate has already been laid out in front of them, and that they have no real control over what will happen. Sometimes fatalists have a flat or unemotional reaction even to frightening circumstances because of these beliefs. The Latin root is fatalis, "ordained by fate or destined."
Vocabulary lists containing fatalist
The Book of Unknown Americans
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
O Pioneers!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
“This area has the lifestyle we like and the values we like,” he said, taking a fatalist view of natural hazards.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2023
But Dubus is no fatalist; we are on a difficult journey of redemption.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
It was an environmental warning repeated in many variations during a more than 80-year career of remarkable scientific range and originality — winning widespread praise as a visionary and scorn as a doomsday fatalist.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 28, 2022
Not a fatalist, but I'm surrounded by retro things and movies with sepia colors that are as if you are living in a nostalgic, or retro, world.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2021
Mrs. Beaverbrook, the fatalist, practically burst into tears and said in a timid little voice, “Oh, it’s so awful. Oh, the guns are so loud!”—which is another way of saying “I’m so scared.”
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
