Standard Lemma guide

skepticism

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈskɛp.tɪˌsɪ.zəm/
  • Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S K EH1 P T IH0 S IH2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice or philosophy of being a skeptic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A studied attitude of questioning and doubt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The doctrine that absolute knowledge is not possible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A methodology that starts from a neutral standpoint and aims to acquire certainty through scientific or logical observation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Doubt or disbelief of religious doctrines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

doubt about the truth of something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incredulity, disbelief, mental rejection

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: doubt, uncertainty, incertitude, dubiety, doubtfulness, dubiousness

7

noun

Meaning 7

the disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agnosticism, scepticism

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unbelief, disbelief

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

67 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: skepticizmi — general disposition to doubt
  • Armenian: թերահավատություն (tʻerahavatutʻyun) — general disposition to doubt
  • Armenian: կասկածամտություն (kaskacamtutʻyun) — general disposition to doubt
  • Basque: eszeptizismo — general disposition to doubt
  • Bulgarian: скептици́зъм (skepticízǎm) — general disposition to doubt
  • Catalan: escepticisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 懷疑論 /怀疑论 (huáiyílùn) — general disposition to doubt
  • Chinese Mandarin: 懷疑主義 /怀疑主义 (huáiyízhǔyì) — general disposition to doubt
  • Crimean Tatar: skeptitsizm — general disposition to doubt
  • Crimean Tatar: şübecilik — general disposition to doubt
  • Czech: skepticismus — general disposition to doubt
  • Czech: skepse — general disposition to doubt
  • Danish: skepticisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Dutch: twijfelzucht — general disposition to doubt
  • Dutch: scepticisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Dutch: skepticisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Estonian: skeptitsism — general disposition to doubt
  • Faroese: ivastevna — general disposition to doubt
  • Finnish: skeptisyys — general disposition to doubt
  • French: scepticisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Galician: escepticismo — general disposition to doubt
  • German: Skeptizismus — general disposition to doubt
  • German: Skepsis — general disposition to doubt
  • Greek: σκεπτικισμός (skeptikismós) — general disposition to doubt
  • Hebrew: ספקנות (safkanút) — general disposition to doubt
  • Hungarian: szkepticizmus — general disposition to doubt
  • Hungarian: szkepszis — general disposition to doubt
  • Icelandic: efahyggja — general disposition to doubt
  • Indonesian: skeptisisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Italian: scetticismo — general disposition to doubt
  • Japanese: 懐疑主義 (kaigishugi) — general disposition to doubt
  • Japanese: 懐疑論 (kaigiron) — general disposition to doubt
  • Japanese: スケプチシズム (sukepuchishizumu) — general disposition to doubt
  • Latin: scepticismus — general disposition to doubt
  • Lithuanian: skepticizmas — general disposition to doubt
  • Malay: skeptisisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Norwegian: skeptisisme — general disposition to doubt
  • Polish: sceptycyzm — general disposition to doubt
  • Portuguese: ceticismo — general disposition to doubt
  • Romanian: scepticism — general disposition to doubt
  • Russian: скептици́зм (skepticízm) — general disposition to doubt
  • Russian: ске́псис (sképsis) — general disposition to doubt
  • Scottish Gaelic: neo-chreidmheachd — general disposition to doubt
  • Serbo-Croatian: скептицизам — general disposition to doubt
  • Serbo-Croatian: skepticizam — general disposition to doubt
  • Slovak: skepticizmus — general disposition to doubt
  • Slovene: skepticizem — general disposition to doubt
  • Spanish: escepticismo — general disposition to doubt
  • Swedish: skepticism — general disposition to doubt
  • Tagalog: kila — general disposition to doubt
  • Tagalog: pangingila — general disposition to doubt
  • Turkish: kuşkuculuk — general disposition to doubt
  • Turkish: septisizm — general disposition to doubt
  • Turkish: skeptisizm — general disposition to doubt
  • Turkish: şüphecilik — general disposition to doubt
  • Ukrainian: скептици́зм (skeptycýzm) — general disposition to doubt
  • Volapük: dotim — general disposition to doubt
  • Armenian: կասկածապաշտություն (kaskacapaštutʻyun) — doctrine
  • Armenian: սկեպտիցիզմ (skepticʻizm) — doctrine
  • Finnish: skepticism — doctrine
  • Finnish: skeptisismi — doctrine
  • Galician: escepticismo — doctrine
  • Polish: sceptycyzm — doctrine
  • Turkish: septisizm — doctrine
  • Turkish: kuşkuculuk — doctrine
  • Turkish: şüphecilik — doctrine
  • Vietnamese: chủ nghĩa hoài nghi — doctrine
Real reading context

skepticism in complete knowledge articles