atheism

American  

[ey-thee-iz-uhm] / ˈeɪ θiˌɪz əm /

noun

1. disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or a supreme being or beings.

2. the philosophical position stating that there is no supreme being or beings.

---

atheism British  

/ ˈeɪθɪˌɪzəm /

noun

1. rejection of belief in God or gods

---

atheism Cultural  

1. Denial that there is a God. (Compare agnosticism.)

---

Usage

What does atheism mean? Atheism is the belief that there is no supreme being or deity. In other words, atheism is the denial of the existence of God or of any gods. A person who holds such a belief can be called an atheist. The word atheist can also be used as an adjective to describe such beliefs or things involving such beliefs. The adjective atheistic can be used in the same way. The word atheism means something different from agnosticism, which is the belief that it is impossible to know whether or not a supreme being exists. When asked if God or gods exist, an atheist would answer “No,” while an agnostic would answer “It is impossible to know.”Example: Atheism isn’t the belief that God is bad—it’s the belief that God doesn’t exist.

Other Word Forms

• antiatheism adjective
• proatheism noun

Etymology

Origin of atheism

First recorded in 1580–90; from Greek áthe(os) “godless” + -ism; a- ⁶ ( def. ), theo-

Explanation

Atheism is the lack of belief in the existence of a god or gods. Atheism isn't a religion — it's just the opposite. If you're fed up with religion or think that believing in God, heaven, and hell is silly, atheism just might be for you. An atheist doesn't believe in God or other supernatural beings. Some atheists state their belief more strongly, but it comes down to either "I don't believe in God" or "There is no God," which mean about the same thing. This is a stronger belief than agnosticism, which says we can't know if God exists.

Example Sentences

Few of the author’s converts came from committed atheism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

In 1992, the government dropped its constitutional references to atheism.

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2024

He said his own spiritual arc included Baptist baptism as a child in Indianapolis, atheism in college and a 1980 Christmas Eve service in Boston after which he became a devoted Christian again.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024

Not because he's carefully engaged the many philosophical proofs for atheism that are out there, of course.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2024

Fiction provided a useful disguise for dangerous ideas such as the atheism and materialism of Cyrano.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• nihilism