Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nihilism

/ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.74 in modern English

Syllables
ni-hil-i-sm
IPA
/ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The view that all endeavours are devoid of objective meaning.

Uncountable

noun

The rejection of, or opposition to, religious beliefs, (inherent or objective) moral principles, legal rules, etc., often due to the view that life is meaningless (sense 1).

Uncountable

noun

The rejection of non-proven or non-rationalized assertions in the social and political spheres of society.

Uncountable

noun

A delusion that oneself or the world, or parts thereof, have ceased to exist.

Uncountable

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Nihilism (“a Russian movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change”).

Uncountable

noun

A doctrine grounded on the negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; in particular, the view that nothing in the world actually exists.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Something that is regarded as meaningless.

Countable

name

A movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Probably borrowed from French nihilisme, German Nihilismus, or Late Latin nihilismus; the French, German, and Latin words are derived from Latin nihil (“indefinite nothing”), from nihilum (“nothing”), from ne- (prefix negating the principal meaning) + hīlum (“a trifle; not in the least”). The English word is cognate with Italian nichilismo, Spanish nihilismo, Russian нигили́зм (nigilízm), philosophical doctrine grounded on negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life; emptiness; lack of education and cultural refinement.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: Nihilismus, nihil, нигили́зм

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/
  • British English: /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪ.lɪz.m̩/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce nihilism?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/.
What does nihilism mean?
The view that all endeavours are devoid of objective meaning.
Where does nihilism come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce nihilism

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nihilism”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪz.m̩/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nihilism”.
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