(きょむてき)

きょむてき
na-adjective
nihilistic; empty; meaningless
emotion
1. nihilistic; bleakly empty; meaning-of-life-denying
Describing a feeling, atmosphere, or outlook that everything is meaningless or hollow. Less technical than 虚無主義(きょむしゅぎ)(てき) — applies to moods, gazes, and worldviews, not just philosophy.
(かれ)虚無的(きょむてき)()していた
He had nihilistic eyes.
Since the breakup, an empty mood has stayed with me.
A nihilistic worldview comes through in her works.

Compound of 虚無(きょむ) (emptiness) + (てき) (-like; -ic). Used about feelings, expressions, and outlooks; rarely about people directly.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • (むな)しい: empty; futile — sense of having no point; more about feeling than worldview
  • 厭世的(えんせいてき): world-weary — about being tired of the world rather than denying meaning
  • ニヒルな: nihilistic — loanword adjective with the same feel; common in casual writing