defeatist
C1formal, psychological, political, critical
Definition
Meaning
A person who expects or accepts failure readily, exhibiting a pessimistic attitude.
Describing an attitude, belief, or behavior characterized by expecting failure and lacking confidence in success, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun for a person, but can also function attributively as an adjective (a defeatist attitude). Conveys strong criticism of a mindset considered harmful to effort and morale.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage and meaning are identical. No significant spelling or syntactic variation.
Connotations
Equally negative in both dialects. Often used in political, military, or organisational contexts to criticise a lack of resilience.
Frequency
Slightly more common in UK media and political discourse, but widely used in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
accuse someone of being a defeatistsuccumb to defeatist thinkingadopt a defeatist attitude towardVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A defeatist is a self-appointed prophet of failure.”
- “To embrace defeatism is to surrender before the battle.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Criticising a team's lack of drive when facing market challenges.
Academic
Analysing societal responses to economic crises or climate change.
Everyday
Describing someone who gives up easily on personal goals.
Technical
In psychology, related to learned helplessness and negative cognitive schemas.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The manager warned the team not to defeatist themselves before the match.
American English
- You can't just defeatist your way through this project.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He is such a defeatist; he never thinks he can win.
- The manager rejected the defeatist suggestion that the campaign was already lost.
- Critics accused the government of peddling a defeatist narrative that undermined public confidence in the recovery plan.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
DEFEAT + IST = A specialist (-ist) in expecting DEFEAT.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS A BATTLEFIELD (A defeatist surrenders the mental battle).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not directly equivalent to 'пораженец' which has strong historical/political connotations. Avoid over-translating.
- Do not confuse with 'loser' (неудачник), which is more general.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'defeatist' to describe a situation instead of a person/attitude (e.g., 'a defeatist result').
- Misspelling as 'defetist' or 'defeatest'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'defeatist' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, attributively. It commonly modifies nouns like 'attitude', 'outlook', or 'mentality' (e.g., a defeatist mentality).
A pessimist expects bad outcomes. A defeatist not only expects failure but accepts it as inevitable, often leading to inaction or surrender.
Yes, it is inherently critical. It labels an attitude as unconstructive and harmful to success.
There is no direct, standard verb. Related concepts are expressed with phrases like 'adopt a defeatist attitude' or 'succumb to defeatism'.