infidel

American  

[in-fi-dl, -del] / ˈɪn fɪ dl, -ˌdɛl /

noun

• infidels
  plural

1. Religion. a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially Christianity or Islam.

2. a person who has no religious faith; unbeliever.

3. (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.

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adjective

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive. not accepting a particular faith, especially Christianity or Islam.

2. without religious faith.

3. Also infidelic of, relating to, or characteristic of unbelievers.

4. relating to or showing unbelief.

   Our infidel ideas about artificial intelligence make us pariahs in the academic community.

infidel British  

/ ˈɪnfɪdəl /

noun

1. a person who has no religious belief; unbeliever

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adjective

1. rejecting a specific religion, esp Christianity or Islam

2. of, characteristic of, or relating to unbelievers or unbelief

Synonym Usage

See agnostic.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• infidels
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

infidel infidels

“Word battles were wild and furious; and Liberal soon became known, not only as an infidel or atheist town, but as a very strange town,” author J.P.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 8, 2017

Its slickest publication had been Dabiq, a magazine named for a Syrian town where, in the seventh century, Armageddon was prophesied to play out in an apocalyptic battle with infidel forces from the Roman Empire.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 4, 2016

He proudly calls himself an infidel and a deplorable.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2016

There was an assumption that they would be greeted as liberators, rather than infidel invaders - as shown by the removal of hard hats for soft berets in the early stages of occupation.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2016

The truth is, that a good many people did object to me because I was an infidel, and the probability is, that if I had denied being an infidel, I might have obtained an office.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 5 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Robert Green Ingersoll

During the civil war, the Druze were largely unwilling to ally with Assad but were wary of the opposition, which was dominated by hard-line Sunni Islamist groups, some of whom viewed Druze as infidels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025

A religious minority living in Iraq for nearly 6,000 years, the Yazidis were considered infidels by the IS fighters.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2023

The word “kuffar” is Arabic for nonbelievers or infidels.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

This wasn't only because the Western rulers were infidels.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2022

The infidels of the neighbourhood regarded him as their "coming man," and his fame was spreading, as he was clever in argument and powerful in debate.

From The Man with the Book or, The Bible Among the People. by John Matthias Weylland

Related Words

• agnostic