Defeatist: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe someone who expects failure and accepts it too easily, often giving up without trying.

• His defeatist attitude made the team lose motivation.
• She refused to be a defeatist and kept pushing forward despite the challenges.

Commonly used to describe a person who expects the worst possible outcome in any situation.

• As a pessimist, he always thought the project would fail.
• It's hard to convince a pessimist that things can get better.

Describes someone who constantly focuses on negative outcomes and aspects, potentially hindering progress or solutions.

• A negative thinker will find problems in every solution.
• Being around negative thinkers can drain your energy.

Refers to someone who is generally sad, pessimistic, or gloomy. Often used in informal contexts.

• He's such a downbeat person; he never sees the positive side of things.
• After the bad news, she became a very downbeat person, always expecting the worst.

Use this word to describe someone who expects to fail and often gives up easily. The person believes failure is inevitable and lacks motivation.

• His defeatist attitude prevented him from even trying to solve the problem.
• Despite the team's encouragement, her defeatist outlook kept her from participating.

Use this word to describe someone who distrusts human sincerity or integrity. The person believes that people are motivated by self-interest.

• She was cynical about the politician's promises, suspecting ulterior motives.
• His cynical view of life made it hard for him to form genuine relationships.

Use this word to describe someone who is in low spirits from loss of hope or courage. The person feels deeply discouraged or dejected.

• After failing the exam, he felt despondent and didn't want to talk to anyone.
• She was despondent after hearing the bad news about her job.

Use this word to describe someone or something that has no chance of success or improvement. The person feels there is no possibility of a positive outcome.

• The situation seemed hopeless when the rescue team couldn't find any survivors.
• He felt hopeless about ever finding his lost dog.