infidel

[in-fi-dl, -del]

See more synonyms for infidel on Thesaurus.com

noun

Religion.
1. a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially Christianity.
2. (in Christian use) an unbeliever, especially a Muslim.
3. (in Muslim use) a person who does not accept the Islamic faith; kafir(def 2).
a person who has no religious faith; unbeliever.
(loosely) a person who disbelieves or doubts a particular theory, belief, creed, etc.; skeptic.

adjective

not accepting a particular faith, especially Christianity or Islam; heathen.
without religious faith.
due to or manifesting unbelief: infidel ideas.
rejecting the Christian religion while accepting no other; not believing in the Bible or any Christian divine revelation.
Also in·fi·del·ic [in-fi-del-ik] /ˌɪn fɪˈdɛl ɪk/. of, relating to, or characteristic of unbelievers or infidels.

Origin of infidel

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin infidēlis “unbelieving,” Latin: “unfaithful, treacherous.” See in-³, feal

Synonym study

1–3. See agnostic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for infidel

agnostic, unbeliever, heretic, atheist, heathen, pagan, gentile

Examples from the Web for infidel

Contemporary Examples of infidel

Leaflets were widely distributed during that era saying that facial covering was what separated the Muslim woman from the infidel.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil
Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights
October 30, 2014
It is immaterial if the infidel is a combatant or a civilian.
The CIA’s Wrong: Arming Rebels Works
Christopher Dickey
October 19, 2014
Safi makes the same threat toward other villagers and warns them never again to help a wounded “infidel” soldier.
The Afghan Village That Saved Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell
Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau
November 8, 2013
From inside the apartment, he could hear people calling him an infidel and debating whether to kill him on the spot.
Activist Arrested Over ‘Innocence’ Allegations
Mike Giglio
September 15, 2012
I was, of course, a woman; I was an infidel; and I was alone.
Top Afghan General: Taliban Defeat Would Take Less Than a Year
Magsie Hamilton-Little
July 31, 2012

Historical Examples of infidel

Already a Christian, could she hope for the success of the infidel?
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
His wife could not help the sudden thought, "But if we had had an infidel or agnostic son?"
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
Let them boast of their Moorish gallantry and their infidel marriages—a fig for them!
Gomez Arias
Joaqun Telesforo de Trueba y Coso
It represented the triumph of the Papacy over the infidel of all dates.
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume I
Mrs. Humphry Ward
She must have been a bad one like her brother, who was an infidel, they say, and did not know or fear God.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for infidel

infidel

noun

a person who has no religious belief; unbeliever

adjective

rejecting a specific religion, esp Christianity or Islam
of, characteristic of, or relating to unbelievers or unbelief

Word Origin for infidel

C15: from Medieval Latin infidēlis, from Latin (adj): unfaithful, from in- 1 + fidēlis faithful; see feal

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

Word Origin and History for infidel

mid-15c. (adjective and noun), from Middle French infidèle, from Latin infidelis "unfaithful, not to be trusted," later "unbelieving," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + fidelis "faithful" (see fidelity). In 15c. "a non-Christian" (especially a Saracen); later "one who does not believe in religion" (1520s). Also used to translate Arabic qafir, which is from a root meaning "to disbelieve, to deny," strictly referring to all non-Muslims but virtually synonymous with "Christian;" hence, from a Muslim or Jewish point of view, "a Christian" (1530s; see kaffir).