From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnihilismni‧hil‧is‧m /ˈnaɪəlɪzəm/ noun [uncountable] 1 RPthe belief that nothing has any meaning or value2 RPPPPthe idea that all social and political institutions should be destroyed —nihilist noun [countable] —nihilistic /ˌnaɪəˈlɪstɪk◂/ adjective
Examples from the Corpus
nihilism• If we are to go beyond nihilism we shall have to devise a strategy to examine this.• The implicit nihilism and aggression are global.• Fitzgerald understood Khayyam's nihilism and his rage.• Karl is a serious musician who missed out on the nihilism of the Seventies punk and largely retained Sixties hippy values.• Unfortunately this diagnosis is often used non-specifically; it also tends to promote a sense of therapeutic nihilism.• But the problem with this type of creation-as-destruction is that the negative aspect is easily equated with nihilism.Origin nihilism (1800-1900) German nihilismus, from Latin nihil “nothing” 