defeatism

D2E1F4E1A1T1I1S1M3
UK/dɪˈfiːtɪzəm/

noun

Acceptance of defeat without struggle.

“Objective assessment is good, but defeatism will reduce our potentials even when the prospects for victory have never been nearer.”

OriginFrench défaitisme →
UncommonScrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundefeatism (usually uncountable, plural defeatisms)

plural defeatisms

  1. uncountableusuallyAcceptance of defeat without struggle.

    Objective assessment is good, but defeatism will reduce our potentials even when the prospects for victory have never been nearer.

Origin

  1. Frenchdéfaitisme
  2. Englishdefeatism

From defeat + -ism, after French défaitisme, coined in 1915 by Russian writer Grigorij Aleksinskij as a translation of Russian пораже́нчество (poražénčestvo), also coined by him as a derivation of порази́ть (porazítʹ, “to strike, defeat”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian пораже́нство
  • пораже́нство (poražénstvo)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Catalan derrotisme
  • derrotismeacceptance of defeat without struggle
Chinese Mandarin 失敗主義 /失败主义
  • 失敗主義 /失败主义 (shībàizhǔyì)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Czech poraženectví
  • poraženectvíacceptance of defeat without struggle
Danish defaitisme
  • defaitismeacceptance of defeat without struggle
Dutch defaitisme, berusting
  • defaitismeacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • berustingacceptance of defeat without struggle
Finnish tappiomieliala, defaitismi
  • tappiomielialaacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • defaitismiacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • antautumismielialaacceptance of defeat without struggle
French défaitisme
  • défaitismeacceptance of defeat without struggle
German Defätismus, Kapitulantentum
  • Defätismusacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • Kapitulantentumacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • Untergangsstimmungacceptance of defeat without struggle
Greek ηττοπάθεια
  • ηττοπάθεια (ittopátheia)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Hebrew תבוסתנות
  • תבוסתנות (tvustanut)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Hungarian defetizmus, kishitűség
  • defetizmusacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • kishitűségacceptance of defeat without struggle
Italian disfattismo
  • disfattismoacceptance of defeat without struggle
Japanese 敗北主義
  • 敗北主義 (haibokushugi)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Polish defetyzm, niedasizm
  • defetyzmacceptance of defeat without struggle
  • niedasizmacceptance of defeat without struggle
Portuguese derrotismo
  • derrotismoacceptance of defeat without struggle
Russian дефети́зм, пораже́нчество
  • дефети́зм (defetízm)acceptance of defeat without struggle
  • пораже́нчество (poražénčestvo)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Spanish derrotismo
  • derrotismoacceptance of defeat without struggle
Swedish defaitism
  • defaitismacceptance of defeat without struggle
Ukrainian дефети́зм
  • дефети́зм (defetýzm)acceptance of defeat without struggle
Cite this entry
APA

defeatism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatism

MLA

“defeatism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defeatism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatism.

Source: defeatism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.