A healthy dose of skepticism is vital when listening to a politician speak.
Source: tatoeba (518086)
Skepticism
/ˈskɛp.tɪˌsɪ.zəm/
Synonyms for "skepticism" (86 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (18)
Noun(9 words)
agnosticismanimositiesapathy toward traditioncareful inquirycollective consciousness theorycritical thinkingcynicismdisbeliefdisillusionment
Adjective(1 words)
Verb(1 words)
cause discredit to
Strong matches (25)
Noun(8 words)
Adjective(1 words)
ethological approach
Related words (43)
Noun(15 words)
mistrustmistrustfulnessphilosophypyrrhonismqualmqualmishnessqueryquestionresistiveness to beliefscoffingscruplescrupulousnessself-doubtshadow of doubtskepticalnesssuspicionsuspiciousnesstotal skepticismtough-mindednessunbelief
Verb(1 words)
sow doubt
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: agnosticism, agnosticism, animosities, anti-environmental, apathy toward tradition.
- Sentence evidence is available for skepticism, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, wordnet, derived_reverse, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "skepticism".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "skepticism"
Keep "skepticism" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "skepticism" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "skepticism", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "skepticism" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
14 entriesattitudecritical thinkingdisbeliefdoubtdoubtfulnessdubietydubiousnessepistemologyincertitudemethodologyphilosophical positionstanceunbeliefuncertainty
More specific
6 entriesglobal skepticismpeer skepticismprofessional skepticismradical skepticismreligious skepticismscientific skepticism
Collocations
5 entriesacademic skepticismhealthy skepticismscientific skepticismskepticism about claimsskepticism toward sources
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
57 translations across 41 languages.
Albanian
1 entries- skepticizmi noun (general disposition to doubt)
Armenian
2 entries- թերահավատություն noun (general disposition to doubt)
- կասկածամտություն noun (general disposition to doubt)
Basque
1 entries- eszeptizismo noun (general disposition to doubt)
Bulgarian
1 entries- скептици́зъм noun (general disposition to doubt)
Catalan
1 entries- escepticisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 懷疑主義 /怀疑主义 noun (general disposition to doubt)
- 懷疑論 /怀疑论 noun (general disposition to doubt)
Crimean Tatar
2 entries- skeptitsizm noun (general disposition to doubt)
- şübecilik noun (general disposition to doubt)
Czech
2 entries- skepse noun (general disposition to doubt)
- skepticismus noun (general disposition to doubt)
Danish
1 entries- skepticisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Dutch
3 entries- scepticisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
- skepticisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
- twijfelzucht noun (general disposition to doubt)
Estonian
1 entries- skeptitsism noun (general disposition to doubt)
Faroese
1 entries- ivastevna noun (general disposition to doubt)
Finnish
1 entries- skeptisyys noun (general disposition to doubt)
French
1 entries- scepticisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Galician
1 entries- escepticismo noun (general disposition to doubt)
German
2 entries- Skepsis noun (general disposition to doubt)
- Skeptizismus noun (general disposition to doubt)
Greek
1 entries- σκεπτικισμός noun (general disposition to doubt)
Hebrew
1 entries- ספקנות noun (general disposition to doubt)
Hungarian
2 entries- szkepszis noun (general disposition to doubt)
- szkepticizmus noun (general disposition to doubt)
Icelandic
1 entries- efahyggja noun (general disposition to doubt)
Indonesian
1 entries- skeptisisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Italian
1 entries- scetticismo noun (general disposition to doubt)
Japanese
3 entries- スケプチシズム noun (general disposition to doubt)
- 懐疑主義 noun (general disposition to doubt)
- 懐疑論 noun (general disposition to doubt)
Latin
1 entries- scepticismus noun (general disposition to doubt)
Lithuanian
1 entries- skepticizmas noun (general disposition to doubt)
Malay
1 entries- skeptisisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Norwegian
1 entries- skeptisisme noun (general disposition to doubt)
Polish
1 entries- sceptycyzm noun (general disposition to doubt)
Portuguese
1 entries- ceticismo noun (general disposition to doubt)
Romanian
1 entries- scepticism noun (general disposition to doubt)
Russian
2 entries- ске́псис noun (general disposition to doubt)
- скептици́зм noun (general disposition to doubt)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- neo-chreidmheachd noun (general disposition to doubt)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- skepticizam noun (general disposition to doubt)
- скептицизам noun (general disposition to doubt)
Slovak
1 entries- skepticizmus noun (general disposition to doubt)
Slovene
1 entries- skepticizem noun (general disposition to doubt)
Spanish
1 entries- escepticismo noun (general disposition to doubt)
Swedish
1 entries- skepticism noun (general disposition to doubt)
Tagalog
2 entries- kila noun (general disposition to doubt)
- pangingila noun (general disposition to doubt)
Turkish
4 entries- kuşkuculuk noun (general disposition to doubt)
- septisizm noun (general disposition to doubt)
- skeptisizm noun (general disposition to doubt)
- şüphecilik noun (general disposition to doubt)
Ukrainian
1 entries- скептици́зм noun (general disposition to doubt)
Volapük
1 entries- dotim noun (general disposition to doubt)
Sample sentences
11 total sentences available.
Tom understood Mary's skepticism.
Source: tatoeba (1092602)
I can understand your skepticism.
Source: tatoeba (2301409)
Tom expressed some skepticism.
Source: tatoeba (4498470)
Showing 4 of 11 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "skepticism"?
Closest matches include agnosticism, agnosticism, animosities, anti-environmental, apathy toward tradition.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "skepticism"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.