skeptic

American  

[skep-tik] / ˈskɛp tɪk /

Or sceptic

noun

1. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual.

2. a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans, statements, or the character of others.

3. a person who doubts the truth of a religion, especially Christianity, or of important elements of it.

   Synonyms:

   doubter

   Antonyms:

   believer

4. (initial capital letter)

   1. a member of a philosophical school of ancient Greece, the earliest group of which consisted of Pyrrho and his followers, who maintained that real knowledge of things is impossible.

   2. any later thinker who doubts or questions the possibility of real knowledge of any kind.

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adjective

1. pertaining to skeptics or skepticism; skeptical.

2. (initial capital letter) pertaining to the Skeptics.

skeptic British  

/ ˈskɛptɪk /

noun

1. an archaic, and the usual US, spelling of sceptic

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Related Words

See agnostic.

Other Word Forms

• antiskeptic noun
• nonskeptic adjective
• skeptical adjective
• skeptically adverb
• skepticalness noun
• skepticism noun

Etymology

Origin of skeptic

1565–75; < Late Latin scepticus thoughtful, inquiring (in plural Scepticī the Skeptics) < Greek skeptikós, equivalent to sképt ( esthai ) to consider, examine (akin to skopeîn to look; -scope ) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Wall Street skeptics who long questioned Cliffwater’s growth are now calling it a “canary in the coal mine” and a “turducken” of problems, given its entanglement in other funds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nvidia’s investments in other companies in the AI ecosystem have raised eyebrows among some skeptics.

From Barron's

Thus in 1776, even Thomas Paine, a religious skeptic, drew from the Bible to make his famous case for American Independence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ward’s song “does NOT guarantee you will have a good day,” another skeptic warned.

From The Wall Street Journal

If Beijing offers a trillion-dollar commitment, those skeptics worry, the U.S. might be tempted to trade its regulatory guardrails for the optics of a historic win.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agnostic
• cynic
• dissenter
• doubter
• pessimist
• questioner