Skepticism

//ˈskɛp.tɪˌsɪ.zəm// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The practice or philosophy of being a skeptic. US, countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    doubt about the truth of something wordnet
  3. 3
    A studied attitude of questioning and doubt. US, countable, uncountable

    "Ever since El Martinez started asking to be called by the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” in the ninth grade, they have fielded skepticism in a variety of forms and from a multitude of sources about what it means to identify as nonbinary."

  4. 4
    the disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge wordnet
  5. 5
    The doctrine that absolute knowledge is not possible. US, countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A methodology that starts from a neutral standpoint and aims to acquire certainty through scientific or logical observation. US, countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    Doubt or disbelief of religious doctrines. US, countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
agnosticismincredulityagnosticismapprehensionatomismcaution

Example

More examples

"A healthy dose of skepticism is vital when listening to a politician speak."

Etymology

From New Latin scepticismus; equivalent to skeptic + -ism.

Related phrases

Euro-skepticism

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.