gnostic
adjective
pertaining to knowledge.
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gnostic
1 American
[nos-tik]
/ ˈnɒs tɪk /
adjective
-
pertaining to knowledge.
-
possessing knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters.
-
(initial capital letter) pertaining to or characteristic of the Gnostics.
noun
-gnostic
2
American
Gnostic
1
British
/ ˈnɒstɪk /
noun
adjective
gnostic
2
British
/ ˈnɒstɪk /
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
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
Explanation
The adjective gnostic describes something related to mysterious intellectual or spiritual knowledge. That gnostic text you've been trying to read is mystical and a little bit obscure. The word gnostic comes from the Greek word gnostikos, meaning "knowing" or "able to discern." If the word has a capital "G" — Gnostic — it describes something related to Gnosticism, a form of nonconventional mystical Christianity that emerged in the 2nd century and is still considered heretical by many Christians. Used more broadly gnostic can describe something that has mystical knowledge, especially related to spirituality.
Vocabulary lists containing gnostic
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.
See Examples For:
Edgar Calel’s dimly lighted installation, in which stones and plant matter dangle over vessels that hold flickering, electronic flames, transports us to a contemplative gnostic ritual.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
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 ● Mar. 11, 2022
Or so say the Infancy Gospels, gnostic folk tales popular in their day but left out of the Scriptures for obvious reasons.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2020
We can feel its gnostic effects on our everyday reality, but we rarely see it, and it’s quite inscrutable to non-initiates.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2019
To the second century also belong two gnostic uses.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 8 "Ethiopia" to "Evangelical Association" by Various
It’s a fitting creation story for our age, with a sort of Gnostic, fallen-world inflection: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was a mistake.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 10, 2021
You could convert your smart home to Zoroastrianism, get your self-driving car to teach you Santería, buy a refrigerator that worshipped Quetzalcoatl, download a bot that would help you live like a second-century Gnostic.
From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2019
Bloom called himself an “unbelieving Jew of strong Gnostic tendencies”.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 15, 2019
Feeling confused and overwhelmed, she turned to the New Testament, the Gnostic gospels of the Nag Hammadi library and Buddhism.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 6, 2018
Numerous fragments and extracts from Gnostic writings are to be found in the works of the Fathers who attacked Gnosticism.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various
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.
