skeptic
SKEP-tik
/ˈskɛptɪk/
A person inclined to question or doubt accepted opinions, claims, or established beliefs.
Can range from healthy scientific doubt to philosophical disbelief in the possibility of absolute certainty.
The story behind the word. In ancient Greece, Pyrrho of Elis founded Skepticism not as a mood of negativity, but as an active process of continuous inquiry. Ancient skeptics called themselves 'seekers' who looked closely at arguments on both sides to avoid rushing into hasty judgements.
Word relationships
- doubter: General term for someone who hesitates to believe, without the systematic inquiry of a skeptic.
- questioner: Emphasizes asking questions rather than harboring fundamental doubt.
- believer: Accepts claims readily without demanding rigorous proof.
- dogmatist: Holds rigid views and refuses to question core assumptions.
Commonly confused with
- cynic: A skeptic doubts truth claims; a cynic doubts human motives and goodness.
Word family
- skeptical (adjective): Having or showing doubt.
- skepticism (noun): A skeptical attitude or philosophical doctrine.
Collocations
- healthy skeptic
- climate skeptic
- remained a skeptic
- skeptic about
Example sentences
- "Even when the initial results looked promising, the lead researcher remained a healthy skeptic until independent laboratories replicated the experiment." Scientific Debate
- "Market skeptics warned that the rapid rise in stock prices was driven by speculation rather than fundamentals." Financial Markets
Memory hook
A skeptic uses a Scope to INSPECT every claim carefully before believing it. Inquire first, accept second.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a cynic, who actively suspects bad intentions or self-interest in others.
Fun facts
- In British English, the word is spelled 'sceptic', but pronounced identically.
Explore more words
skepticism, questioning, credulous, query, incredulous, falsifiable
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