nihilistic

[nahy-uh-lis-tik]

adjective

1. of or believing in nihilism, or the total rejection of established laws and institutions.

   An exhibition of nihilistic art—now there's an oxymoron!

2. embracing anarchy, terrorism, and destruction.

   nihilistic tactics learned in a terrorist bootcamp.

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

Other Word Forms

• nihilistically adverb
• antinihilistic adjective
• nonnihilistic adjective
• unnihilistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nihilistic¹

nihil(ism) + -istic

Example Sentences

“Anniversary” is a deeply nihilistic film that can’t be described as a cautionary tale — that horse has already left the barn.

Read more on 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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He said Earl "led a rather nihilistic existence which involved taking drugs" and "saw the world through the desperate, pathetic and delusional prism of online gaming".

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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.

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“When we’re talking about ‘black pilled’ youth and those that are just upset with the entire system, it does make sense that you’d have someone engraving bullets with very nihilistic hubris.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anarchic