infidel
Americannoun
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Religion. a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially Christianity or Islam.
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a person who has no religious faith; unbeliever.
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(loosely) a person who disbelieves or doubts a particular theory, belief, creed, etc.; skeptic.
When it came to ghosts, he was a self-confessed infidel.
adjective
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Often Disparaging and Offensive. not accepting a particular faith, especially Christianity or Islam.
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without religious faith.
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Also infidelic of, relating to, or characteristic of unbelievers.
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relating to or showing unbelief.
Our infidel ideas about artificial intelligence make us pariahs in the academic community.
noun
adjective
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rejecting a specific religion, esp Christianity or Islam
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of, characteristic of, or relating to unbelievers or unbelief
Related Words
See agnostic.
Etymology
Origin of infidel
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin infidēlis “unbelieving,” Latin: “unfaithful, treacherous”; see in- 3, feal ( def. )
Explanation
Infidel is a nasty way of referring to someone who does not follow the same religion you do. How can you call people infidels and expect them to believe your religion is tolerant? Infidel comes to English from the Latin infidelis, which means "unfaithful," although it's almost always hurled at a person of different faith. You can also use the word more lightly to mean someone who doesn't share a common belief or opinion. Cries of "Infidel!" could be heard throughout the dorm when you announced that you didn't root for the local football team.
Vocabulary lists containing infidel
The Alchemist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As he wrote about the 1777 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, it contained "within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohametan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."
From Salon • Mar. 4, 2023
He bought a house by Diyarbakir’s Gâvur Mahallesi, the Infidel District—a gracious building with a large courtyard, a well, and an old tree.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 29, 2014
Ms. Hirsi Ali is a founder of the AHA Foundation and author of "Infidel" and "Nomad: My Journey from Islam to America."
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2013
An American soldier in The Blind Man's Garden has a tattoo that reads "Infidel" in Arabic, as though a boast.
From The Guardian • Jan. 26, 2013
In 1734, seven years after Newton’s death, an Irish bishop, George Berkeley, wrote a book entitled The Analyst, Or a Discourse Addressed to an Infidel Mathematician.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
