skepticism
Americannoun
-
skeptical attitude or temper; doubt.
- Synonyms:
- questioning
-
doubt or unbelief with regard to a religion, especially Christianity.
- Synonyms:
- agnosticism, atheism, disbelief
- Antonyms:
- faith
-
(initial capital letter) the doctrines or opinions of philosophical Skeptics; universal doubt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of skepticism
First recorded in 1640–50; from New Latin scepticismus; equivalent to skeptic + -ism
Explanation
Skepticism is doubt about something — you're just not convinced or can't totally believe it. If your brother is only four feet tall, you should view his claims that he can slam dunk a basketball with a lot of skepticism. If you like to poke holes in other people's ideas, then you are full of skepticism. Some people follow a specific belief system that questions the truth of anything, but most people save their skepticism for certain things. Tabloids, Big Foot sightings, and over-eager used car salesmen should all be viewed with a little skepticism. On the other hand, gullible folks believe everything they hear and don't have much, if any, skepticism.
Vocabulary lists containing skepticism
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Power Suffix: -ism
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Outliers
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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:
The female agent expressed skepticism that DHS would meaningfully change its enforcement tactics in response to the order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“But that’s not the vast majority of private schools,” said Douglas Harris, a Tulane University economist who studies voucher programs and has expressed skepticism that a free-market approach works well for schools.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
But, when they do, treat their promises with a healthy degree of skepticism.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
I suspect that experience gave her a very strong civil libertarian instinct that manifests here as a deep skepticism towards state power to criminalize gun possession.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
A note of skepticism could be heard in her voice.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Most childhood memoirs depict the author as an adult in child’s clothing, possessing preternaturally sophisticated observations and skepticisms.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
“The reasons for skepticisms are very valid,” Nath says.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 30, 2015
Alas, he is better at explaining doubts and skepticisms and moral relativism than at charting a path out of such dilemmas.
From Time Magazine Archive
And he would recall excerpts from the book—gentle skepticisms, childish animalisms.
From Gargoyles by Hecht, Ben
What have they done to demonstrate genius yet?—These skepticisms are somewhat prevalent nowadays, and are a natural enough reaction from Fourth-of-July flatulencies.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 12, October, 1858 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.
