Nihilism

See also: nihilism

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian нигили́зм (nigilízm).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪ.(h)ɪ.lɪ.z(ə)m/, /ˈnɪ-/, /ˈniː-/, [-(h)ɨ̞-]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪ.əˌlɪ.z(ə)m/, /ˈni.ə-/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ni‧hil‧i‧sm

Proper noun

Nihilism

1. (Russia, politics, historical) A movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change.
   • 1867, Eugene Schuyler, “Preface”, in Ivan Sergheïevitch Turgenef [i.e., Ivan Turgenev], translated by Eugene Schuyler, Fathers and Sons […], New York, N.Y.: Leypoldt and Holt, →OCLC, page vii:

     The Government took up the word, and used nihilism to stigmatize all revolutionary, and ultra democratic and socialistic tendencies; and we have seen it play its part in the recent investigations into the attempted assassination of the Emperor.

Alternative forms

• nihilism

Translations

movement that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change

• Dutch: Nihilisme n
• French: nihilisme (fr) m
• Moroccan Amazigh: ⵜⴰⵥⵕⵡⴰⵍⵓⵜ f (taẓṛwalut)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nihilisme m

• Polish: nihilizm (pl) m
• Romanian: nihilism (ro) n
• Russian: нигили́зм (ru) m (nigilízm)

Further reading

• Russian nihilist movement on Wikipedia.Wikipedia