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Synonyms

unbeliever

American  
[uhn-bi-lee-ver] / ˌʌn bɪˈli vər /

noun

  1. a person who does not believe.

  2. a person who does not accept any, or some particular, religious belief.


unbeliever British  
/ ˌʌnbɪˈliːvə /

noun

  1. a person who does not believe or withholds belief, esp in religious matters

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of unbeliever

1520–30; un- 1 + believer ( def. )

Explanation

An unbeliever is a person who is skeptical of a particular religion. Most places of worship welcome all people, even unbelievers. If you're not a believer — that is, if you don't believe in something — you're an unbeliever. This noun usually turns up in religious contexts, either as another word for an atheist (someone who doesn't believe in any god or deity), or simply to denote someone who isn't a follower of a certain religion. If you're a Unitarian, your devout Catholic relatives might consider you to be an unbeliever.

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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:

It starts with the bait: superficially bland, non-violent content that comes up when someone searches online for topics like "kafir" or unbeliever.

From BBC Mar. 31, 2017

But Eitzel is a more thoroughgoing unbeliever, from a more skeptical age, especially as an AIDS-era gay artist who spent a fair slice of his career half in and half out of the closet.

From Slate Jan. 30, 2017

How could she be at once such a stringent moralist and an unbeliever?

From Salon Oct. 8, 2012

One can be an unbeliever and find this a bit feeble.

From The Guardian Aug. 26, 2011

In the four years since his divorce became final, it’s fair to say that the conductor has become something of an unbeliever.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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