as in hopeless
emphasizing or expecting the worst
your defeatist attitude is depressing everyone else on the team!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in realist
one who emphasizes bad aspects or conditions and expects the worst
we told her that if she was going to be such a defeatist, she should keep her thoughts to herself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeatist
Adjective
-
Those who are convinced they’re trapped stay helpless and hopeless.—
Amy Morin,
CNBC,
12 June 2025 -
In a world where the powerful increasingly act with impunity, taking fictional villains to task makes sense, a form of Hollywood wish fulfillment for those who feel stuck or hopeless.—
Whitney Friedlander,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
During an intermission at the Tallinn opera, an older Estonian man caught me staring up at the sprawling, Soviet-era socialist realist ceiling mural, which depicts Communism triumphant.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
7 May 2025
-
Spanning nearly two decades of work, the exhibition, currently on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art is an assemblage of close to 50 portraits that reimagine the American realist tradition by centering Black subjects in moments of stillness, style, and sovereign presence.—
Najha Zigbi-Johnson,
Essence,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Robbins will play Russell Kind, a rough and grizzled settler with a cynical world view.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
12 June 2025
-
Of course, given the ubiquity of such ambitious politicians of all flavors, everywhere, all the time, the charge of cynical opportunism has fairly short legs.—
Dain Fitzgerald,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Similarly to her dad, Abby tries to bring order to her crew of oddballs and cynics, most notably former night court prosecutor Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), a character from the original series.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
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Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2013 graphic lesbian love story Blue Is the Warmest Color confounded cynics by winning over a jury headed by, of all people, Steven Spielberg.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
CEOs’ responses were pessimistic about many business factors.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
-
Still, some scholars remain pessimistic about the odds of deciphering khipus with any certainty.—
Sam Kean,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2025
Noun
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But that doesn’t stop a chorus of pessimists from emerging amid periods of market volatility.—
Luke Andriuk,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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In contrast, pessimists often miss opportunities by holding cash.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defeatist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeatist. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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