nihilistic
Americanadjective
-
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.
nihilistic tactics learned in a terrorist bootcamp.
-
Philosophy. of or believing in an extreme form of skepticism; belief in nothingness.
Other Word Forms
- antinihilistic adjective
- nihilistically adverb
- nonnihilistic adjective
- unnihilistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of nihilistic
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.
“They’re so principled and motivated, even if it’s in a nihilistic way,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times
“Anniversary” is a deeply nihilistic film that can’t be described as a cautionary tale — that horse has already left the barn.
From Los Angeles Times
Via a wild final act, the nihilistic streak seen in many of Mr. Lanthimos’s previous movies emerges again, this time in an especially mordant way.
The FBI recently recognised a new category of threat called nihilistic violent extremism or NVE, defined by a general hostility to society and desire for chaos rather than a sharply defined ideology.
From BBC
The FBI case investigators, as well as law enforcement sources, characterize the 25-year-old as having “nihilistic ideations,” conclusions drawn from social media postings they link to Bartkus.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
