Defeatism is acceptance of defeat without struggle. In everyday use, defeatism has negative connotation and is often linked to treason and pessimism. However, defeatism can have positive connotations. Defeatists tend to follow a reality-based view of the world as opposed to triumphallists who have a faith-based view of the world.
The term is commonly used in the context of war: a soldier can be a defeatist if he or she refuses to fight because he or she thinks that the fight will be lost for sure or that it is not worth fighting for some other reason. The term can also be used in other fields, like politics, sport, psychology and philosophy. The term originates from France during World War I.