Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nihilist

/ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables: ni-hilist
IPA: /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who accepts or champions nihilism.

noun

An absolute skeptic; a person who believes in the truth of nothing.

adj

Nihilistic; seeing no value.

Example Sentences

"“Promortalists recognize and seek to minimize suffering rather than embrace misanthropy and amorality,” Keneally says, noting that the writings attributed to Bartkus indicate he rejected the “sociopath[ic]” tendencies of nihilists” in a May 2025 forum post. […] According to the ISD report, the disorganized and ever-changing nature of nihilist ideologies makes it harder to understand and counter."
"Bauer used the same arguments as Rosa Luxemburg, though he was far from sharing her nihilist attitude to the national question."

Etymology

From Latin nihil (“nothing”) + -ist.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/
British English: /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/

Inflected Forms

nihilists (plural) more nihilist (comparative) most nihilist (superlative)

Derived Forms

antinihilist nihilistic

Synonyms

anarchist syndicalist

Questions

How do you pronounce nihilist?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/.
What does nihilist mean?: A person who accepts or champions nihilism.
Where does nihilist come from?: From Latin nihil (“nothing”) + -ist.

How to pronounce nihilist

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nihilist”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪl.ɪst/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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