nihilist
Meaning: A person who rejects all moral and religious principles in the belief that life is meaningless; also relating to nihilism, the philosophical doctrine that nothing has inherent value.
Nihilist is used in philosophy, politics, and cultural commentary. Philosophically, it denotes rejection of meaning, morality, and objective truth. Politically, it was associated with 19th-century Russian revolutionary movements that sought to destroy the existing social order. In everyday usage, it is often applied loosely to describe cynical or destructive attitudes. It collocates with 'political nihilist', 'philosophical nihilist', 'moral nihilism', and 'nihilist streak'.
Examples
- Nietzsche is often mischaracterised as a nihilist, though his philosophy was in fact an attempt to overcome nihilism rather than embrace it. 尼采常被误认为虚无主义者,但实际上他的哲学是试图克服虚无主义而非拥抱虚无主义。Nietzsche suele ser caracterizado erróneamente como nihilista, aunque su filosofía era en realidad un intento de superar el nihilismo, no de abrazarlo.ニーチェはしばしばニヒリストとして誤解されるが、彼の哲学は実際にはニヒリズムを受け入れるのではなく克服しようとする試みであった。니체는 흔히 니힐리스트로 잘못 묘사되지만, 그의 철학은 실제로 니힐리즘을 수용하기보다 극복하려는 시도였다.
- The critic accused the playwright of adopting a nihilist stance that offered audiences nothing but despair and the absence of meaning. 评论家指责这位剧作家采取了虚无主义立场,只向观众提供绝望和意义的缺失。El crítico acusó al dramaturgo de adoptar una postura nihilista que no ofrecía al público sino desesperación y ausencia de sentido.批評家はその劇作家がニヒリスト的な姿勢を取っていると非難し、観客に絶望と意味の不在しか提供していないと述べた。비평가는 그 극작가가 관객에게 절망과 의미의 부재만을 제공하는 니힐리스트적 입장을 취하고 있다고 비난했다.
- A nihilist streak runs through his early novels, in which characters drift through a world drained of purpose, connection, and hope. 他的早期小说中贯穿着一种虚无主义倾向,其中的人物在一个被抽空了目标、联系和希望的世界中随波逐流。Una veta nihilista recorre sus primeras novelas, en las que los personajes deambulan por un mundo vaciado de propósito, conexión y esperanza.彼の初期の小説にはニヒリスト的な傾向が貫かれており、登場人物たちは目的も繋がりも希望も失われた世界を漂流する。그의 초기 소설에는 니힐리스트적 경향이 관통하고 있으며, 등장인물들은 목적도 유대도 희망도 사라진 세계를 떠돈다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic, literary, political, philosophical
Tone: analytical
Origin & History
From Latin nihil meaning 'nothing,' combined with the suffix -ist. The term was popularised in the 1860s by the Russian novelist Turgenev in 'Fathers and Sons,' though it had earlier philosophical uses in German thought.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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