skeptic

American  

[skep-tik] / ˈskɛp tɪk /

Or sceptic

noun

• skeptics
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

See agnostic.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• skeptics
  plural

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; see -scope) + -ikos -ic

Explanation

A skeptic is a person who doesn't believe something is true unless they see evidence. As a skeptic, you refuse to believe your sister saw a ghost — after all, she can't prove it. Skeptics are doubters — they need to see proof before they will believe. If you're a skeptic, you're probably dubious about things like astrology and magic. Some skeptics feel the same way about religion, preferring facts that can be scientifically and historically proven. Coming from the Greek word skeptikos, which means "thoughtful or inquiring," it's no surprise that a skeptic is someone who asks a lot of questions — and isn't easily convinced.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

skeptic skeptics

Koepp is more of an alien skeptic than Spielberg, who recently told CBS that aliens “are here.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

A frightening encounter with a fabled Sea Hag in the third episode turns dyed-in-the-wool skeptic Tom into a believer, allowing Rhys to exercise his pipes and impressive pitch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

Green emerged as a skeptic of digital money, while Menefee embraced the industry.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

Being an Intel skeptic is a lonely business in 2026, but here I am.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

He was pinched perspiringly in the epistemological dilemma of the skeptic, unable to accept solutions to problems he was unwilling to dismiss as unsolvable.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

I’ll give the skeptics their due, because private-equity data don’t paint a pretty picture.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Some skeptics still see it as a sort of circularity lite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

A relentlessly driven, shrewd deal-maker and entrepreneur, Allen is used to defying skeptics and seeing opportunity in assets overlooked by others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

In my experience, the skeptics usually come around after the first bite.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

The spirit trend didn’t dissolve overnight, but skeptics had now exposed fraud often enough that belief among the general public was fading fast.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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