as in cynical
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Recent Examples of nihilistic
Although the other Na’vi are very tapped into large Mother Gaia notions of flora and fauna, and the belief that everyone is connected on Pandora, the ash people have a much more nihilistic worldview.
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David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2025
But the movie isn’t a cheaply cynical or nihilistic experience; its gravest horrors spring from a complex understanding of how human compassion persists in a universe that is fundamentally opposed to its existence.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Some superfans will surely gripe that a movie in which a Predator is the hero and central protagonist represents a betrayal of what has always been a pretty dark, gory, and nihilistic action franchise.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Clearly, there was a dark, nihilistic underside to the culture.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
One such critic has crashed the party, and his nihilistic spirit is made vivid by Warren Bowles.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025
Suspects in several high-profile mass shooting events in recent years allegedly used Discord to announce their actions or trade in violent or nihilistic content there.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 24 Sep. 2025
Henderson, a black 17-year-old student, identified as incel and expressed antisemitic, nihilistic, and occult beliefs, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
Later, after additional details emerged, still others said the shooter was motivated by nihilistic video game culture.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nihilistic
Adjective
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The shootout in the finale felt ripped from another (lesser) series, Sarah Catherine Hook’s monologue as Piper, now wanting to wash Thailand off her, just a bit of a pat cheat (and a more cynical White on display).—
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Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Adjective
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Known for his spare, unforgiving style and darkly comic fatalistic sensibility, along with his penchant for leather jackets, lots of smoking and a deadpan sense of humor, Tarr was a quintessential arthouse filmmaker.—
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There was this kind of fatalistic view that there was not that much that could be done.—
Adjective
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There’s no nihilist energy in the song.—
Adjective
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The modest pace of hiring, alongside a series of high-profile layoff announcements from major companies, helps explain why consumers remain pessimistic about the labor market.—
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Only voters in Virginia saw their state’s economy as excellent or good, while those in California, New York City and New Jersey took a more pessimistic view.—
Cite this Entry
“Nihilistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nihilistic. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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