gnostic
1 Americanadjective
-
pertaining to knowledge.
-
possessing knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters.
-
(initial capital letter) pertaining to or characteristic of the Gnostics.
noun
noun
adjective
adjective
Usage
What does -gnostic mean? The combining form -gnostic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to knowledge.” It is occasionally used in scientific and technical terms, especially in medicine.The form -gnostic is a combination of two forms. The first is -gnosis, from Greek gnṓsis, meaning “a seeking to know.” The second is the suffix -ic, from Greek -ikos, which denotes adjectives.What are variants of -gnostic?While -gnostic doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -gnosis, as in diagnosis, and -gnomy, as in physiognomy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -gnosis and -gnomy.
Other Word Forms
- antignostic adjective
- antignostical adjective
- gnostically adverb
- ungnostic adjective
Etymology
Origin of gnostic1
1555–65; < Late Latin Gnōsticī (plural) name of the sect < Greek gnōstikós (singular) pertaining to knowledge, equivalent to gnōst ( ós ) known + -ikos -ic
Origin of -gnostic2
< Medieval Latin -gnōsticus < Greek gnōstikós pertaining to knowledge
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.
Joined by about a dozen longtime collaborators and close family members, he leads the ensemble in a few traditional songs and a handful of originals built on gnostic, historically grounded lyrics and drifting, driving rhythms.
From New York Times
He became a gnostic voice of cinema and a pariah, at least in mainstream circles.
From New York Times
“I was a nomad after losing my room, and I was a gnostic because I had to survive by my wits,” he told The Times.
From New York Times
The room was silent — no beating hearts, ticking clocks or gnostic ravens — except for the creak of a chair and the soft flutter of a turning page.
From Washington Post
They aren’t new stories so much as alternate ones — subversions of the official story, secret histories, gnostic texts.
From New York Times
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.
