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.

---

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

---

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

Ryan Williams: I did not fully believe the hypothesis, and I'm on the record as a prominent skeptic.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

But financial planner Matthew Chancey, founder of Tax Alpha Companies in Tampa, Fla., is a skeptic.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has shared mixed messaging on MMR vaccine, at times endorsing it and other times sharing unproven claims about its safety.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

Charles felt that if he could explain the evolution of the eye, he could convince even the harshest skeptic that he was right.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

To skeptics, though, the CVS breakup looked like a retreat under regulatory fire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

So the next time you think about vaccines, I urge you to look beyond public skeptics to see an opportunity hiding in plain sight.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

Such circular financing arrangements provide fodder for AI skeptics who suspect the AI ecosystem is a bubble that can’t expand without companies subsidizing each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

California election skeptics filed dozens of public records requests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Maggie and Kate Fox were no longer wanted by either believers or skeptics.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---