atheist

[ ey-thee-ist ]

See synonyms for atheist on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
a person who believes that there is no supreme being or beings.

Origin of atheist

First recorded in 1565–75; from Greek áthe(os) “godless” + -ist;see a-⁶, theo-

synonym study For atheist

See agnostic.

Other words from atheist

an·ti·a·the·ist, noun, adjective
pro·a·the·ist, noun, adjective

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

How to use atheist in a sentence

Instead, I spend much of my time criticizing my fellow atheists.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism | Steve Neumann | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
He claims there have been “942,000 new self-described atheists and 1,250,000 agnostics” in the past several years.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism | Steve Neumann | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The new ‘Openly Secular’ campaign illuminates prejudice against atheists.
Loud, Proud, and Atheist: ‘Openly Secular’ Encourages Nonbelievers to Come Out of the Closet | Vlad Chituc | September 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But atheists face an additional hurdle—our moral credentials are called into question.
Loud, Proud, and Atheist: ‘Openly Secular’ Encourages Nonbelievers to Come Out of the Closet | Vlad Chituc | September 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The fact that atheists are apparently as moral as believers will be counterintuitive to some.
It’s Official: Religion Doesn’t Make You More Moral | Elizabeth Picciuto | September 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

It is said that atheists are bred in slums, and amidst brick walls and unlovely surroundings.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
Thus the creation, which seems an arbitrary net, supposes laws as invariable as those of the fatality of the atheists.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VII (of X)--Continental Europe I | Various
It has a right to be a Plymouth Brother though its parents be convinced atheists.
A Treatise on Parents and Children | George Bernard Shaw
There are passages from which some have taken occasion to rank him among deists, and others among atheists.
On the Portraits of English Authors on Gardening, | Samuel Felton
I have defended natural religion against a confederacy of atheists and divines.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. I. (of 12) | Edmund Burke

British Dictionary definitions for atheist

atheist

/ (ˈeɪθɪˌɪst) /

noun

a person who does not believe in God or gods

adjective

of or relating to atheists or atheism

Derived forms of atheist

atheistic or atheistical, adjective
atheistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse