FATALISTIC Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

fatalistic

adjective

Definition of fatalistic

as in cynical

having or showing a belief that the future is determined and cannot be changed His fatalistic outlook resulted in a lack of motivation to pursue a career.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fatalistic But Still Coming Down isn’t a fatalistic album as a whole, just a pragmatic one. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026 The film follows Niaz (Bakhtadze), a once-famous star of Georgian cinema who embarks on a bizarre and fatalistic odyssey of self-transformation, after an unsettling audition with a young female director looking to cast him in a minor part. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026 With its fourth chapter, Reacher goes full neo-noir, embracing the genre’s fatalistic, gloomy approach while staying true to its action roots. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026 The mystery character, played by Sadie Sink, is also dealing with her own demons of loss and fatalistic desperation. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 But her grandfather Andrew Viterbi had a very different perspective, somewhere between fatalistic and hopeful. — Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 27 July 2026 There’s another, less fatalistic response to both the Balogun red card reversal and the economic malaise. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 July 2026 By contrast, Whitehead was fatalistic. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Many, though, are fearful about what is to come at the World Cup — and fatalistic about the future. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatalistic

Adjective

This time, Michael sounds less idealistic and much more cynical.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Goor and Del Tredici are gearing up to debut their next NBC sitcom, a single-camera workplace comedy starring Jake Johnson as a cynical detective working at a past-its-prime private investigator agency in Hollywood.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of cynical

Adjective

To that end, Musk’s average favorability rating — net negative 16 percentage points as of Wednesday, according to Decision Desk HQ — has additionally improved, although only slightly, since July 2025 when his favorability was at its nadir.

— Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
The beats create ample negative space for Holden to employ riskier flows, often deploying a double-time pace to burn through technically dense passages.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of negative

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“Fatalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatalistic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fatalistic

adjective

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