Dictionary.com

agnosticism

[ ag-nos-tuh-siz-uhm ]
/ ægˈnɒs təˌsɪz əm /
Save This Word!

noun
the doctrine or belief of an agnostic.
an intellectual doctrine or attitude affirming the uncertainty of all claims to ultimate knowledge.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of agnosticism

First recorded in 1870–75; agnostic + -ism

Words nearby agnosticism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use agnosticism in a sentence

Cultural definitions for agnosticism

agnosticism
[ (ag-nos-tuh-siz-uhm) ]

A denial of knowledge about whether there is or is not a God. An agnostic insists that it is impossible to prove that there is no God and impossible to prove that there is one. (Compare atheism.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK