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I believe that we are all, openly or secretly, struggling against one or another kind of nihilism.
Ellen Willis

Meaning of "nihilism" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD NIHILISM

From Latin nihil nothing + -ism, on the model of German Nihilismus.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF NIHILISM

nihilism  [ˈnaɪɪˌlɪzəm] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF NIHILISM

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Nihilism is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES NIHILISM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

nihilism

Nihilism

Nihilism is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. Moral nihilists assert that morality does not inherently exist, and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived. Nihilism can also take epistemological or ontological/metaphysical forms, meaning respectively that, in some aspect, knowledge is not possible, or that reality does not actually exist. The term is sometimes used in association with anomie to explain the general mood of despair at a perceived pointlessness of existence that one may develop upon realising there are no necessary norms, rules, or laws. Movements such as Futurism and deconstruction, among others, have been identified by commentators as "nihilistic" at various times in various contexts.

Definition of nihilism in the English dictionary

The first definition of nihilism in the dictionary is a complete denial of all established authority and institutions. Other definition of nihilism is an extreme form of scepticism that systematically rejects all values, belief in existence, the possibility of communication, etc. Nihilism is also a revolutionary doctrine of destruction for its own sake.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH NIHILISM


automobilism
ˌɔːtəʊˈməʊbɪˌlɪzəm
evangelism
ɪˈvændʒɪˌlɪzəm
Familism
ˈfæmɪˌlɪzəm
immobilism
ɪˈməʊbɪˌlɪzəm
infantilism
ɪnˈfæntɪˌlɪzəm
mercantilism
ˈmɜːkəntɪˌlɪzəm
necrophilism
nɛˈkrɒfɪˌlɪzəm
Negrophilism
niːˈɡrɒfɪˌlɪzəm
perfectibilism
pəˈfɛktɪbɪˌlɪzəm
pointillism
ˈpwæntɪˌlɪzəm
pointillisme
ˈpwæntɪˌlɪzəm
probabilism
ˈprɒbəbɪˌlɪzəm
puerilism
ˈpjʊərɪˌlɪzəm
pugilism
ˈpjuːdʒɪˌlɪzəm
salicylism
ˈsælɪsɪˌlɪzəm
servilism
ˈsɜːvɪˌlɪzəm
slavophilism
sləˈvɒfɪˌlɪzəm
symphilism
ˈsɪmfɪˌlɪzəm
virilism
ˈvɪrɪˌlɪzəm
zoophilism
zəʊˈɒfɪˌlɪzəm

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE NIHILISM

nigrescent
nigricant
nigrify
nigritude
nigromancy
nigrosin
nigrosine
NIH
NIHE
nihil
nihil obstat
nihilist
nihilistic
nihility
Nihon
nihonga

WORDS THAT END LIKE NIHILISM

alcoholism
bibliophilism
capitalism
devilism
fallibilism
gentilism
impossibilism
infallibilism
journalism
metabolism
miserabilism
nationalism
possibilism
professionalism
realism
socialism
surrealism
symbolism
troilism
vandalism

Synonyms and antonyms of nihilism in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «NIHILISM»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «nihilism» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of nihilism

Translation of «nihilism» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF NIHILISM

Find out the translation of nihilism to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of nihilism from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «nihilism» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

虚无主义
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

nihilismo
570 millions of speakers

English

nihilism
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

शून्यवाद
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

العدمية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

нигилизм
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

niilismo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ধ্বংসবাদ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

nihilisme
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Nihilisme
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Nihilismus
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ニヒリズム
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

허무주의
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nihilism
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

thuyết hư vô
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நீலிசம்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

निरर्थकता
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

nihilizm
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

nichilismo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

nihilizm
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

нігілізм
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

nihilism
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μηδενισμό
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

nihilisme
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

nihilism
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

nihilisme
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of nihilism

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «NIHILISM»

The term «nihilism» is regularly used and occupies the 78.432 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
64
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «nihilism» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of nihilism
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «nihilism».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «NIHILISM» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «nihilism» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «nihilism» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about nihilism

EXAMPLES

9 QUOTES WITH «NIHILISM»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word nihilism.
1
Alain Badiou
Liberal capitalism is not at all the Good of humanity. Quite the contrary; it is the vehicle of savage, destructive nihilism.
2
Leonard Baskin
I think there is an element of nihilism about, but I don't think most artists feel their work is meaningless.
3
Matt Groening
Nihilism in American comedy came along way before 'The Simpsons.' There was a fairly nihilistic point of view to 'Saturday Night Live,' for instance, back in the beginning, and a lot of really dark comedy had a really anti-sentimental take on life.
4
Sam Harris
Nearly half of the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. This dewy-eyed nihilism provides absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization. Many of these people are lunatics, but they are not the lunatic fringe.
5
Sebastian Horsley
My grandfather was a practising Quaker. My father was a nihilist. But nihilism, if you like, is the beginning of faith anyway.
6
Sharon Salzberg
The middle way is a view of life that avoids the extreme of misguided grasping born of believing there is something we can find, or buy, or cling to that will not change. And it avoids the despair and nihilism born from the mistaken belief that nothing matters, that all is meaningless.
7
Michael Shermer
Scientists are skeptics. It's unfortunate that the word 'skeptic' has taken on other connotations in the culture involving nihilism and cynicism. Really, in its pure and original meaning, it's just thoughtful inquiry.
8
Bruce Springsteen
I think you can get to a point where nihilism, if that's the right word, is overwhelming, and the basic laws that society has set up - either religious or social laws - become meaningless.
9
Ellen Willis
I believe that we are all, openly or secretly, struggling against one or another kind of nihilism.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «NIHILISM»

Discover the use of nihilism in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to nihilism and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Nihilism & Emancipation: Ethics, Politics, & Law
Featuring fourteen of Vattimo's most influential essays on ethics, politics, and law, this collection is a provocative reevaluation of meaning, values, and the idea of freedom in Western culture.
Gianni Vattimo, Santiago Zabala, 2006
2
Fashionable Nihilism: A Critique of Analytic Philosophy
One of America's foremost philosophers reflects on the discipline and its relation to everyday life.
Bruce Wilshire, 2002
3
Nihilism Before Nietzsche
Reconstructing nihilism's intellectual and spiritual origins before it was given its determinative definition by Nietzsche, Gillespie focuses on the crucial turning points in the development of nihilism, from Ockham and the nominalist ...
Michael Allen Gillespie, 1996
4
The Banalization of Nihilism: Twentieth-Century Responses to ...
A century ago, says Carr (religious studies, Lawrence U.), nihilism was an enemy Nietzsche could battle, but now, like smog, it is so pervasive we can no longer even see it.
Karen Leslie Carr, 1992
5
Nihilism
The book discusses nihilism as a paradoxical idea, which is simultaneously destructive to and constitutive of society, by developing a systematic account of the historical significance, political consequences, and the social topology of ...
Bulent Diken, 2008
6
Laughing at Nothing: Humor as a Response to Nihilism
Explores the concept of nihilism and argues that it need not imply despair, but can be responded to positively.
John Marmysz, 2003
7
Misogyny, Cultural Nihilism & Oppositional Politics: ...
Written from a feminist perspective, this is a cultural and ideological study of modern China as seen in the writing of experimental fiction, one of the main attempts to subvert the conventions of socialist realism in contemporary Chinese ...
Tonglin Lu, 1995
8
Education in an Age of Nihilism: Education and Moral Standards
This timely book addresses concerns about educational and moral standards in a world increasingly characterised by nihilism.
Nigel Blake, Paul Smeyers, Richard Smith, 2012
9
Beyond Nihilism: Nietzsche Without Masks
Ofelia Schutte holds that these conflicting assessments result from a failure to distinguish between two paradigms of power found in Nietzsche's work: power as recurring energy and power as domination.
Ofelia Schutte, 1986
10
The Specter of the Absurd: Sources and Criticisms of Modern ...
Crosby (philosophy, Colo.
Donald A. Crosby, 1988

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «NIHILISM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term nihilism is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Grave Babies: Holographic Violence | Album review
... that are too oppressive if not ordinary (the usual unholy trinity of dystopia, nihilism and misanthropy), at least the music mostly makes up for it. «Irish Times, Jul 15»
2
Review: 'Pixels' is barrels of 8-bit fun
There's a spirit of carefree nihilism in their pixelated destruction, and since their troops are play-pretend creatures, blasting them doesn't carry ... «Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jul 15»
3
Did Kids Inspire You to Get HIV Tested?
... overdone and not very well acted, but also a document of the tension in that time and place that both recognized our nihilism and mitigated it. «Jezebel, Jul 15»
4
'Paper Towns' Author John Green Taps Into Teens
“I mean, I think that optimism is honest and I think that nihilism is inherently dishonest. I think that the truth is always hopeful, so maybe that's something that I ... «New Hampshire Public Radio, Jul 15»
5
The Mystery of ISIS
... wisdom when it concluded in Zarqawi's obituary: “Ultimately, his brutality tarnished any aura, offered little but nihilism and repelled Muslims worldwide.”. «The New York Review of Books, Jul 15»
6
Former National Lampoon Editor Craps All Over Vacation Remake
... normal middle-class values, all the Clark Griswolds are alienated, sarcastic and cynical, and every suburban schlub is a font of nihilism's dark ... «Mediaite, Jul 15»
7
Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald, book review: The times really …
And, some felt, between hope and nihilism. History, however, can be a capricious mistress. That same weekend, president Lyndon B Johnson ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
8
Hear The Wing Sing & Pinball 1973 by Haruki Murakami; trans. Ted …
... by his country's literary establishment of being un-Japanese, and there is the youthful nihilism that makes his work so famously Kafkaesque. «The Independent, Jul 15»
9
When 'He Fights' Matters More Than Whether He Wins
What some might see as a strain of nihilism, an urge to storm the Bastille and tear it down to its foundations, those in the crowd would view as ... «Commentary Magazine, Jul 15»
10
Sick Suicide Reality Show at Edinburgh Festival
Nihilism strikes a beat. Into your life it will seep. I once debated Nitschke on CNN, both of us by remote satellite connection. Just before we went ... «National Right to Life News, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Nihilism [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/nihilism>. Apr 2024 ».
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