nihilist

ni·hil·ism

N n

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [nahy-uh-liz-uh m, nee-]
- /ˈnaɪ əˌlɪz əm, ˈni-/
- /ˈnaɪ.ə.lɪ.zəm/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [nahy-uh-liz-uh m, nee-]
- /ˈnaɪ əˌlɪz əm, ˈni-/

Definitions of nihilist word

noun nihilist total rejection of established laws and institutions. 1
noun nihilist anarchy, terrorism, or other revolutionary activity. 1
noun nihilist total and absolute destructiveness, especially toward the world at large and including oneself: the power-mad nihilism that marked Hitler's last years. 1
noun nihilist Philosophy. an extreme form of skepticism: the denial of all real existence or the possibility of an objective basis for truth. nothingness or nonexistence. 1
noun nihilist (sometimes initial capital letter) the principles of a Russian revolutionary group, active in the latter half of the 19th century, holding that existing social and political institutions must be destroyed in order to clear the way for a new state of society and employing extreme measures, including terrorism and assassination. 1
noun nihilist annihilation of the self, or the individual consciousness, especially as an aspect of mystical experience. 1

See all 8 definitions of nihilist

Information block about the term

Origin of nihilist

First appearance:

before 1810

One of the 40% newest English words

1810-20; < Latin nihil nothing (variant of nihilum; see nil) + -ism

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Nihilist

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Nihilist

nihilist popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 77% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

nihilist usage trend in Literature

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Synonyms for nihilist

noun nihilist

pessimist — a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.
existentialist — A person who adheres to the philosophy of existentialism.
anarchist — An anarchist is a person who believes in anarchism.
radical — of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.
revolutionary — of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.

All 10 Synonyms of nihilist