fatalism

/ˌfeɪdlˈɪzəm/

Other forms: fatalisms

People who exhibit fatalism appear powerless to shape their own future: they believe only in fate. I sense the fatalism in you, but you CAN change things!

You can see and hear the word "fate" in the word fatalism. It means "destiny" — the notion that all things are meant to be and that there is nothing you can do to change them. Someone "fatalistic" — who displays fatalism — sees life as a series of inevitable, predetermined events. Often, this term is used negatively to describe someone who refuses to try to shape their own lives or who gives up too easily. Fatalism may in fact be a logical response to life, but that's no reason not to try to change things!

Definitions of fatalism

1. noun

   a philosophical doctrine holding that all events are predetermined in advance for all time and human beings are powerless to change them
   type of:

   determinism

   (philosophy) a philosophical theory holding that all events are inevitable consequences of antecedent sufficient causes; often understood as denying the possibility of free will
2. noun

   a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable
   type of:

   acceptance, credence

   the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true