atheist
noun
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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
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Tom’s late wife was an atheist.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Weibel, following her interviews and observations, believes that the same gray area extends to astronauts: some are openly religious, some are atheists, others agnostic and more.
—Jessica Rendall, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Baptists, Quakers, Catholics, Episcopalians, Mennonites, atheists and others sing together, and all are welcome.
—Lucy Grindon, NPR, 25 Sep. 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 16 Dec. 2025.
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