unbelieving

American  

[uhn-bi-lee-ving] / ˌʌn bɪˈli vɪŋ /

adjective

1. not believing; skeptical.

   Synonyms:

   incredulous, questioning

2. not accepting any, or some particular, religious belief.

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unbelieving British  

/ ˌʌnbɪˈliːvɪŋ /

adjective

1. not believing; sceptical

2. proceeding from or characterized by scepticism

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Other Word Forms

• unbelievingly adverb
• unbelievingness noun

Etymology

Origin of unbelieving

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; un- ¹, believe ( def. ), -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

A person who's unbelieving denies or doubts the truth of something. Your religious grandmother might invite her unbelieving friend to come with her to church. Being unbelieving often has to do with a lack of religious beliefs. Another way to be unbelieving is to be incredulous, or astonished by something — so amazed that you can't believe what you're seeing or experiencing. The best part about performing magic tricks for little kids is the unbelieving expressions on their faces when they see a rabbit appear in a hat or a bouquet of flowers suddenly vanish.

Example Sentences

Rhys plays the unbelieving journalist tasked with writing a magazine profile of Rogers in the late ’90s.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2019

The unbelieving Hansen put the banana in Lietzke’s golf bag as a test, only to discover the rotten fruit still there in January.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2018

The unbelieving Hansen put the banana in Lietzke’s golf bag as a test, only to discover the rotten fruit still there in January.

From Washington Times • Jul. 28, 2018

Always be skeptical if not unbelieving when someone says: "What America wants", "what the people want".

From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2016

But Wang Lung stared at her, robust and unbelieving.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck