noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:F EY1 T AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The doctrine that all events are subject to fate or inevitable necessity, or determined in advance in such a way that human beings cannot alter them.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: metaphysics
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
a philosophical doctrine holding that all events are predetermined in advance for all time and human beings are powerless to change them
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: determinism
3
noun
Meaning 3
a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: credence, acceptance
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English fatal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English fatalism From fatal + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
fatalisme
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Chinese Mandarin:
宿命論 /宿命论
(sùmìnglùn)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Czech:
fatalismus
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Danish:
fatalisme
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Danish:
skæbnetro
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Dutch:
fatalisme
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Finnish:
fatalismi
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Finnish:
kohtalousko
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
French:
fatalisme
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Galician:
fatalismo
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
German:
Fatalismus
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Greek:
φαταλισμός
(fatalismós)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Greek:
μοιρολατρία
(moirolatría)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Hungarian:
fatalizmus
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Icelandic:
forlagatrú
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Ido:
fatalismo
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Indonesian:
kepasrahan
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Italian:
fatalismo
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Korean:
운명론
(unmyeongnon)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Korean:
숙명론
(sungmyeongnon)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Polish:
fatalizm
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Portuguese:
fatalismo
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Punjabi:
ਭਾਗਵਾਦ
(bhāgvād)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Romanian:
fatalism
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Russian:
фатали́зм
(fatalízm)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Serbo-Croatian:
фаталѝзам
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Serbo-Croatian:
fatalìzam
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Spanish:
fatalismo
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Swedish:
fatalism
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Swedish:
ödestro
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Ukrainian:
фаталі́зм
(fatalízm)
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Volapük:
fätim
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
Welsh:
tyngedfenyddiaeth
— doctrine that all events are subject to fate
