See Also: nihilism(medicine)
nihilism(dictionary)
nihilism(encyclopedia)
nihilism(dictionary)

nihilism (iou)



nihilism noun. In sense 4 usu. Nihilism. E19.
[from Latin NIHIL + -ISM, partly after German Nihilismus, (in sense 4) French nihilisme, Russian nigilizm.]
Total rejection of current religious beliefs or moral principles, often involving a general sense of despair and the belief that life is devoid of meaning. E19.
a. Philosophy. An extreme form of scepticism, involving the denial of all existence. M19.
b. Psychology. The delusional belief that something (even the outside world or the patient's self) has ceased to exist or to function. L19.
Nothingness, non-existence. M19.
Hist. The doctrines or principles of the Russian Nihilists. M19.