skepticism

American  

[skep-tuh-siz-uhm] / ˈskɛp təˌsɪz əm /

Or scepticism

noun

1. skeptical attitude or temper; doubt.

   Synonyms:

   questioning

2. doubt or unbelief with regard to a religion, especially Christianity.

   Synonyms:

   agnosticism, atheism, disbelief

   Antonyms:

   faith

3. (initial capital letter) the doctrines or opinions of philosophical Skeptics; universal doubt.

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skepticism Cultural  

1. In philosophy, the position that what cannot be proved by reason should not be believed. One of the main tasks of epistemology is to find an answer to the charge of some extreme skeptics that no knowledge is possible.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiskepticism
  noun

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.

Example Sentences

Skepticism nevertheless persists among the roughly 50 staffers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Skepticism toward large equity incentives for founder-executives, once largely confined to scholarly legal debate, played a visible role in how the Chancery Court assessed fairness in Musk’s case.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

Skepticism over the value of college degrees has grown, and state disinvestment in public universities has accelerated across the nation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2024

"Skepticism is a good thing in science, but there are a lot of bad faith out efforts to distort and impair understanding, and that's not skepticism. It's anything but skepticism."

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2023

Skepticism enables us to distinguish fancy from fact, to test our speculations.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• apprehension
• disbelief
• distrust
• hesitation
• reluctance
• suspicion
• uncertainty