Meaning & use
nihilistic
Last updated
Rejecting all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.
See it in a sentence
The film's nihilistic tone suggests that none of the characters' choices really matter.
After the loss, he went through a nihilistic phase where nothing seemed worth caring about.
A note on using this word
Nihilistic is often used loosely in everyday speech to describe extreme pessimism, though its philosophical meaning is more specific: the denial of any inherent meaning or values.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nihilistic”, then compare your use with the examples above.