Definition of NIHILISM

nihilism

Plural: nihilisms

Noun

  • A philosophical doctrine denying all meaning, value, or purpose in life.
  • a revolutionary doctrine that advocates destruction of the social system for its own sake
  • the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist; a sense that everything is unreal
  • complete denial of all established authority and institutions
  • The view that all endeavours are devoid of objective meaning.
  • The rejection of, or opposition to, religious beliefs, (inherent or objective) moral principles, legal rules, etc., often due to the view that life is meaningless.
  • The rejection of non-proven or non-rationalized assertions in the social and political spheres of society.
  • A delusion that oneself or the world, or parts thereof, have ceased to exist.
  • Alternative letter-case form of Nihilism (“a Russian movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change”).
  • A doctrine grounded on the negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; in particular, the view that nothing in the world actually exists.
  • Something that is regarded as meaningless.

Examples

  • His defeatist attitude was pure nihilism; he declared Words With Friends pointless after one loss.

Origin / Etymology

Probably borrowed from French nihilisme, German Nihilismus, or Late Latin nihilismus; the French, German, and Latin words are derived from Latin nihil (“indefinite nothing”), from nihilum (“nothing”), from ne- (prefix negating the principal meaning) + hīlum (“a trifle; not in the least”). The English word is cognate with Italian nichilismo, Spanish nihilismo, Russian нигили́зм (nigilízm), philosophical doctrine grounded on negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; emptiness; lack of education and cultural refinement.

Synonyms

nihilistic delusion, existential nihilism, moral nihilism

Antonyms

antinihilism

Scrabble Score: 13

nihilism: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
nihilism: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
nihilism: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

nihilism: valid Words With Friends Word