A more thorough explanation:

A nihilist is a person who believes in nihilism, which is a doctrine that denies the existence of moral principles and objective truth. Nihilists also believe that traditional beliefs are unfounded and that life is meaningless and useless. They may also advocate for the destruction of existing economic, social, or political institutions, regardless of the consequences.

For example, in Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, the character Bazarov is a nihilist who rejects traditional values and institutions, including the church, the government, and the aristocracy. He believes that science and reason are the only sources of truth and that everything else is superstition and ignorance. Bazarov's nihilism leads him to clash with his more conservative parents and friends, and ultimately to a tragic end.

Another example of nihilism can be seen in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, who argued that God is dead and that humans must create their own values and meanings in a world without objective truth or morality. Nietzsche's nihilism influenced many modern thinkers and artists, including existentialists, postmodernists, and punk rockers.