HOW TO PRONOUNCE
nihilism
/ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:33
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What does nihilism mean?
noun
- 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 (sense 1).
- The rejection of non-proven or non-rationalized assertions in the social and political spheres of society.
More meanings (5)
noun
- A delusion that oneself or the world, or parts thereof, have ceased to exist.
- 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.
- (historical) 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”).
proper noun
- (historical) A movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
But that is Nihilism, and the sign of a despairing, mortally wearied soul, notwithstanding the courageous bearing such a virtue may display.
With nihilism, no discussion is possible; for the nihilist logic doubts the existence of its interlocutor, and is not quite sure that it exists itself.
More book examples (2)
In the penultimate verse he makes known his discovery concerning the root of modern Nihilism and indifference,—i.e., that modern man has no goal, no aim, no ideals (see Note A).
The Eastern armies were indeed like insects; in their blind, busy destructiveness, in their black nihilism of personal outlook, in their hateful indifference to individual life and love, in their base belief in mere numbers, in their pessimistic courage and their atheistic patriotism, the riders and raiders of the East are indeed like all the creeping things of the earth.