atheist
noun
Did you know?
How Agnostic Differs From Atheist
Atheist and agnostic appear in the same contexts but are distinct in meaning. Atheist refers to someone who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods. Agnostic has two relevant meanings: it can refer to someone who holds the view that any ultimate reality, such as God, is unknown and probably unknowable, or it can refer to someone who is not committed to believing in either the existence or nonexistence of God or a god.
Agnostic first appeared in print in 1869 (it was possibly coined by the English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley), and was formed from the Greek agnōstos, meaning "unknown, unknowable." Atheist came to English from the French athéisme. Although both words share the prefix a-, meaning "without," the main body of each word is quite different. Agnostic ultimately comes from the Greek root gignōskein, meaning "know" (also the source of such words as know and prognosis). Atheist shares the root theo, meaning "god," with such words as theology and theism.
Examples of atheist in a Sentence
Maggie Astor, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Pope Francis, 88, was remembered for fostering solidarity among Catholics, people of other faiths including Jews and Muslims, and even atheists.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Douglas Murray — the snarky British atheist — now agrees with Rauch and Peterson that healthy faith is a must-have for a healthy society.
—Mike Woodruff, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025
Could an evangelical school like Wheaton College be compelled to appoint an atheist to its faculty?
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atheist
Cite this Entry
“Atheist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheist. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share