nihilistic

[ nahy-uh-lis-tik ]

/ ˌnaɪ əˈlɪs tɪk /

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See synonyms for nihilistic on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or believing in nihilism, or the total rejection of established laws and institutions: An exhibition of nihilistic art—now there's an oxymoron!

embracing anarchy, terrorism, and destruction: nihilstic tactics learned in a terrorist bootcamp.

Philosophy. of or believing in an extreme form of skepticism; belief in nothingness.

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Origin of nihilistic

nihil(ism) + -istic

OTHER WORDS FROM nihilistic

ni·hil·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·ni·hil·is·tic, adjectivenon·ni·hil·is·tic, adjectiveun·ni·hil·is·tic, adjective

Words nearby nihilistic

nigrostriatal, NIH, NIHE, nihil, nihilism, nihilistic, nihility, nihil obstat, Nihon, nihonium, NII

How to use nihilistic in a sentence

Suffice to say that this time around, the show is less about ultra-privileged mean girls destroying each other for kicks than it is about relatively decent people getting lured into those same nihilistic power struggles.
HBO Max's Gossip Girl Reboot Is Perfectly Fine for a Show That Shouldn't Exist|Judy Berman|July 5, 2021|Time
Dadaists at Zürich’s Cabaret Voltaire in 1916 pioneered a nihilistic aesthetic, born out of the trauma of World War I, that is surely a great-grandparent of lol nothing matters GIFs.
The Real World Homecoming: New York Is a Bittersweet Glimpse at Everything Reality TV Could've Been|Judy Berman|March 4, 2021|Time
Braird, the older, meanwhile, was entering his teens, differentiating and waxing nihilistic.
The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try.|by Elizabeth Weil|January 25, 2021|ProPublica
Bright lights, big city — they’re still bright, still big and there’s still something bitterly nihilistic in the mix.
In HBO’s sordid but watchable ‘Industry,’ the world now belongs to the zuppies|Hank Stuever|November 8, 2020|Washington Post

Secretary of State John Kerry called the group, “ugly, savage, inexplicable, nihilistic, valueless evil.”
Don't Start a War Over a Hostage|Jacob Siegel|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That may be partially because The Big Lebowski is their most nihilistic presentation.
Dudes and Maudes Abide at New York City Lebowski Fest|Rich Goldstein|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are poached instead of hard-boiled, boasting anti-heroes with nihilistic worldviews who are nevertheless vulnerable.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The answer is that it was not, being instead a series of dissociated gestures that flopped right into a nihilistic void.
Miley Cyrus: The Nadir of American Civilization?|Tunku Varadarajan|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They say they will “listen to the Web,” which was the central arena of their nihilistic campaign, “and decide what to do.”
The United States Can’t Insulate Itself From Euro Politics|Robert Shrum|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
These theories were very bold in their negation, and it is for this reason that they have been called "nihilistic."
Contemporary Russian Novelists|Serge Persky
The government has done much to stamp out the curse of nihilistic propaganda, and many members of the society have fled.
The Mission of Poubalov|Frederick R. (Frederick Russell) Burton
I am sure that you can trust him, whether or not there is anything in Poubalov's nihilistic suggestions.
The Mission of Poubalov|Frederick R. (Frederick Russell) Burton
Had she not heard how the great body of the nihilistic society was made up of the poor?
The Mission of Poubalov|Frederick R. (Frederick Russell) Burton
The most violently nihilistic of doctrines was fanned into an idolatry puerile and meek.
The Lords of the Ghostland|Edgar Saltus