defeatism

Example Sentences

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 defeatism Shot entirely in France, the movie renders its ideas of romantic melancholy and Agathe’s default romantic defeatism in ways that reassure the audience every second. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025 Blind pessimism becomes defeatism, a denial that solutions are possible. Big Think, 5 Feb. 2025 The defeatism that has come to define the way that many young people today perceive the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is not really part of her vocabulary. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025 The title is the central theme, brilliantly and often shockingly rendered via a series of lightly connected stories that mine the depths of defeatism, nihilism, and alienation. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for defeatism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatism
Noun
  • Within hours, the doubts had grown into pessimism.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Other findings were more moderate than the pessimism on future unemployment.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the wake of his second resignation from Blair’s government, Mandelson became a European Commissioner when Britain was still in the European Union, before returning to front line British politics in 2008 to serve under Blair’s successor, Gordon Brown.
    Pan Pylas, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Conservatives and the Scottish National Party demanded Mandelson’s resignation, while the Liberal Democrats pressed for an investigation.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defeatism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatism. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!