skeptic · adj — skeptical. It carries an Arena rating of 1432, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, skeptic ranks #692 of 17,136 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,006 of 17,145 for Most Malleable Words, #1,594 of 17,115 for Most Storied Words, #5,103 of 17,152 for Most Incisive Words.
skeptic is pronounced /ˈskɛp.tɪk/.
Why “skeptic” is a great word
A person who habitually doubts or questions accepted beliefs, claims, or opinions. From Late Latin *scepticus*, from Ancient Greek σκεπτικός (skeptikós, 'thoughtful, inquiring'), from σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, 'to consider, examine'). Unlike a cynic, who is driven by a contemptuous distrust of human motives, or an agnostic, whose doubt is narrowly focused on metaphysical knowledge, the skeptic is animated by a principled suspension of judgment. It is the furrowed brow over the headline’s grand claim, the fingertip tracing cracks in a polished argument, the calm voice that asks 'how do we know?' in a room shouting affirmation. The mind remains a crucible, testing the weight of belief against the chill of doubt.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French sceptique (but with a pronunciation closer to that of the Latin etymon), or possibly directly from Late Latin scepticus (originally attested only in the plural Scepticī (“the sect of Skeptics”)), from Proto-Italic *spektos (“see, observing”), from *speḱ- (“to see”), compare to σκοπέω (skopéō, “to view, examine”).
adj
- Skeptical.e.g.“This view of the Great Pyramid is being adopted by a widening circle of Christian believers, until even a skeptic scientist has dignified it as “the religion of the Pyramid!”” — 1877 November 28, The Lancaster Daily; quoted in Joseph A[ugustus] Seiss, A Miracle in Stone: or The Great Pyramid of Egypt, Philadelphia, Pa.: Porter & Coates, […], 1877, page 239:
noun
- Someone who doubts beliefs, claims, plans, etc. that are accepted by others as true or appropriate, especially one who habitually does so.
- Someone who is skeptical towards religion.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.