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

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.

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

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

I do not say this to be fatalistic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

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

His sister stayed because her fatalistic heart told her that the lethal sickness would follow her, no matter what, to the farthest corner of the earth.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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