skepticism
Americannoun
-
skepticisms
plural
-
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:
This group turned in a 3.52 rating on a seven-point scale of skepticism, versus 2.6 for the others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But Quan expressed skepticism the council would make those changes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“There’s an openness to learning from others. There’s a skepticism, an acceptance of the fact that you don’t know the answers, though you search for them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Investors appeared share that skepticism: Target’s stock finished around 1.3% lower on Tuesday, at $156.43 a share.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Nelson stared at me with such pure, annoyed skepticism I was tempted to doubt my own word.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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
The spiritualist finds himself driven to express his faith by a series of skepticisms.
From Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson
My dear Hawthorne, the atmospheric skepticisms steal into me now, and make me doubtful of my sanity in writing you thus.
From Memories of Hawthorne by Rose Hawthorne Lathrop
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.
