atheism

/ˈeɪ.θi.ɪ.zəm/

Etymology

16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)). First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED).

atheism means A non-belief in deities.; Belief that no deities exist (sometimes including rejection of other religious beliefs). Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 65 out of 100.

Why this word is great

ATHEISM — [Noun] The absence of belief in the existence of any deities. From Middle French athéisme, from athée ('atheist'), from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, 'godless'), from ἀ- (a-, 'without') + θεός (theós, 'deity, god'). Unlike agnosticism, which suspends a verdict on unknowability, or theism, which asserts a divine presence, atheism is defined by a quiet vacancy. It is the clean geometry of an unadorned wall where an icon once hung, the steady silence after the cessation of a hymn, and the clear, unmediated light of a sun that is merely a star—a stance built not on certainty, but on the audacity to live in an unroofed world.

noun

A non-belief in deities.; Belief that no deities exist (sometimes including rejection of other religious beliefs).“Near-synonyms: antireligiousness, irreligion, irreligiousness”
A non-belief in deities.; A lack of belief in deities, or a belief that there is insufficient evidence to believe in a god.“Near-synonyms: irreligion, irreligiousness, nonreligion, nonreligiousness”
A non-belief in deities.; Absence of belief that any deities exist (including absence of the concept of deities).“What can parents do, and mothers more especially, […] with regard to the atheism that is natural to all the children of men?”
Absence of belief in a particular deity, pantheon, or religious doctrine (notwithstanding belief in other deities).“Domitilla, Flavia, niece of the emperor Domitian (81-96). She and her husband, Flavius Clemens (consul in 95 and cousin of Domitian), were probably Christians; charged with atheism and adoption of Jewish ways, they were punished (95) with death (Clemens) and exile (Domitilla).”
A rejection of all religions, even non-theistic ones.“Some worldviews are based in a belief in God; others are not. Buddhism, Taoism, atheism, Marxism, and existentialism are examples of worldviews that are nontheistic.”