noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The doctrine that all events are subject to fate or inevitable necessity, or determined in advance in such a way that human beings cannot alter them. countable, uncountable

   "Sure, maybe. We know — have long known — that romanticism and fatalism are dialectical lovers."

2. 2
   a philosophical doctrine holding that all events are predetermined in advance for all time and human beings are powerless to change them wordnet
3. 3
   a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

determinismdeterminismelectionkismetpredestinationpredestination

Antonyms

All antonyms

free willfreedomindeterminism

Example

More examples

"Your fatalism is ruining everyone's mood."

Etymology

From fatal + -ism.

Related phrases

amor fati

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.