Meanings
comparative more defeatist · superlative most defeatist
- Of or relating to defeatism.
You may look ruefully at your poor red hands and think that just because they have got that way through the extra work you are doing there’s just nothing that can be done about it. Of course, this is a deafeatist attitude—and a lazy one too!
1944 December 8, “Up-to-Data: Practical Home Hints for the Modern Woman”, in The Ramsbottom Observer, Ramsbottom, →OCLC, page 6
plural defeatists
- Someone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who is resigned to defeat without offering positive suggestions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchdéfaitiste
- Englishdefeatist
From defeat + -ist, after French défaitiste.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan derrotista, derrotista
- derrotistaof or relating to defeatism
- derrotistasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Czech poraženecký
- poraženeckýof or relating to defeatism
Danish defaitistisk, defaitist
- defaitistiskof or relating to defeatism
- defaitistsomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Finnish defaitistinen, defaitisti
- defaitistinenof or relating to defeatism
- defaitistisomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
French défaitiste, défaitiste
- défaitisteof or relating to defeatism
- défaitistesomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
German defätistisch, Defätist
- defätistischof or relating to defeatism
- Defätistsomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Hebrew תבוסתן, תבוסתנית
- תבוסתן (tvustan)someone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
- תבוסתנית (tvustanyt)someone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Hungarian kishitű, defetista
- kishitűof or relating to defeatism
- defetistaof or relating to defeatism
- defetistasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Icelandic uppgjafarsinni
- uppgjafarsinnisomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Italian disfattista, disfattista
- disfattistaof or relating to defeatism
- disfattistasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Polish defetystyczny, defetysta
- defetystycznyof or relating to defeatism
- defetystasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
- defetystkasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Russian пораже́нческий m пораже́нческая, пораже́нец
- пораже́нческий m пораже́нческая (poražénčeskij)of or relating to defeatism
- пораже́нец (poražénec)someone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Spanish derrotista, derrotista
- derrotistaof or relating to defeatism
- derrotistasomeone who advocates defeatism, or has such an attitude
Cite this entry
defeatist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatist
“defeatist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatist. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defeatist,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defeatist.
Source: defeatist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.