skeptic

noun

skep·​tic ˈskep-tik 

1

: an adherent or advocate of skepticism

2

: a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding religion or religious principles

Synonyms

• questioner

Examples of skeptic in a Sentence

Skeptics have pointed out flaws in the researchers' methods.

You can believe in ghosts if you like, but I'm still a skeptic.

He is a skeptic and a cynic.

Recent Examples on the Web

These skeptics — in what may come as a surprise — tend to be younger. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025

Of all the big names to pass through the Blue Note—Dizzy Gillespie, Keith Jarrett—Puth may be the most likely to provoke skeptics. —Jane Bua, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Reviewing pages have been thinned by the forces of history and technology; few Pynchon skeptics anymore bother to take the time to read the novels and register their objections. —Book Marks october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025

Kennedy fired all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June, replacing some with vaccine skeptics. —Suhail Bhat, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin or Greek; Latin scepticus, from Greek skeptikos, from skeptikos thoughtful, from skeptesthai to look, consider — more at spy

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for skeptic

• peptic
• sceptic
• septic
• antiepileptic
• antiseptic
• epileptic
• neuroleptic
• aseptic
• dyspeptic
• organoleptic

Kids Definition

skeptic

noun

skep·​tic ˈskep-tik 

: a person slow to believe or ready to question : doubter