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

Fennell is not merely playing fast and loose with her source material, as a skeptic might think; she’s lifting the evocative images of Brontë’s prose and envisioning them as one might when reading the novel.

From Salon

In an era where AI skeptics are wondering about how companies will monetize the technology, Anthropic has gone from zero revenue as of January 2023 to the $14 billion revenue run rate of today.

From MarketWatch

The problem, say skeptics, is that investing in Greenland can come with enormous challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal

For skeptics, it was yet another sign the truck is still not ready for the road.

From Los Angeles Times

He runs through the familiar GenAI hazards—hallucinations, bias, privacy concerns and the challenge of regulation—yet refuses to indulge reflexive skeptics and their “grave reservations.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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