Definition of ATHEIST

Other Words from atheist

atheistic \ ˌā-thē-ˈis-tik

\ or atheistical \ ˌā-thē-ˈis-ti-kəl

\ adjective

atheistically \ -ti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

How Agnostic Differs From Atheist

Many people are interested in distinguishing between the words agnostic and atheist. The difference is quite simple: atheist refers to someone who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods, and agnostic refers to someone who doesn’t know whether there is a god, or even if such a thing is knowable. This distinction can be troublesome to remember, but examining the origins of the two words can help.

Agnostic first appeared in 1869, (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 a prefix (which is probably the source of much of the confusion) the main body of each word is quite different. Agnostic shares part of its history with words such as prognosticate and prognosis, words which have something to do with knowledge or knowing something. Atheist shares roots with words such as theology and theism, which generally have something to do with God.

Examples of atheist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mark and his twin brother are atheists like me, and their older brother is worried for our souls. — Sara Eckel, Longreads, "The Hole in My Soul," 1 June 2018 The church became the target of an easy, useful anger manipulated by the faithless, the secularists, the atheists, and the angry Catholics who felt betrayed. — Christine M. Flowers, Philly.com, "We won't back down from the fight to end abortion | Christine Flowers," 28 May 2018 One study, by Cara MacInnis and Gordon Hodson, found that vegans are viewed more negatively than atheists, immigrants, homosexuals, and asexuals. — Abigail Higgins, Vox, "Why do people hate vegans so much?," 3 Nov. 2018 The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an educational nonprofit and association of atheists, agnostics and skeptics. — Erica Snow, WSJ, "Religious Groups, Atheists Clash Over Tax-Free Housing for Clergy," 24 Oct. 2018 Sunday, September 30 God Friended Me: An atheist receives the surprise of a lifetime when actual God sends him a friend request in Facebook. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "A Star Is Born," 30 Sep. 2018 The private Twitter account in question reportedly describes Pattisapu as an atheist, liberal public school teacher and a son of immigrants. — Caleb Parke, Fox News, "Teacher reportedly compares pro-Trump MAGA hat teen to Nazi in vulgar tweet: 'F--- EM'," 13 July 2018 This is not the first time Scalfari — an avowed atheist — has published a controversial statement attributed to Pope Francis, only for the Vatican to walk it back. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Pope Francis reportedly denies the existence of hell. Vatican panics.," 30 Mar. 2018 Dennington was alarmed to hear Loibl — who had been an atheist — talking about a pop singer in religious terms. — Jeff Weiner, OrlandoSentinel.com, "CHRISTINA GRIMMIE: THE MURDER OF A RISING STAR," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'atheist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.