unbelieving
Americanadjective
-
not believing; skeptical.
- Synonyms:
- incredulous, questioning
-
not accepting any, or some particular, religious belief.
adjective
-
not believing; sceptical
-
proceeding from or characterized by scepticism
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unbelieving
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
At first they were unbelieving: “Are you sure?”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2017
The show fares less well with Sganarelle, Don Juan’s clownish valet, who’s fearful of heaven’s wrath and horrified by his unbelieving master’s recklessness.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2015
For his unbelieving audience, he will repeat the part about the team playing amid movie stars and palm trees in Los Angeles, rather than snowbanks in Edmonton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2014
Some of the business community were so far gone, they just stared back, unbelieving.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
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.
