Choose the Right Synonym for skepticism

uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, mistrust mean lack of sureness about someone or something. uncertainty may range from a falling short of certainty to an almost complete lack of conviction or knowledge especially about an outcome or result. assumed the role of manager without hesitation or uncertainty doubt suggests both uncertainty and inability to make a decision. plagued by doubts as to what to do dubiety stresses a wavering between conclusions. felt some dubiety about its practicality skepticism implies unwillingness to believe without conclusive evidence. an economic forecast greeted with skepticism suspicion stresses lack of faith in the truth, reality, fairness, or reliability of something or someone. regarded the stranger with suspicion mistrust implies a genuine doubt based upon suspicion. had a great mistrust of doctors

Examples of skepticism in a Sentence

She regarded the researcher's claims with skepticism. It's good to maintain a healthy skepticism about fad diets.

Recent Examples on the Web Whether Germany’s new skepticism of China sticks will be a major political, economic and strategic question of the next decade. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, 5 May 2022 This doesn’t mean anyone is out to get you, but rather that skepticism of new ideas is natural and to be expected. — Yec, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 Lainé’s skepticism about customers’ attitudes is a common one. — Vivian Song, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2022 Polls suggest that a majority of the French public supports the alliance, but skepticism of NATO is widespread in the country’s politics. — Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2022 But vaccine skepticism is a far more widespread phenomenon, drawing support from alternative medical practitioners, including chiropractors, as well as professional athletes, chefs, models, entrepreneurs and actors. — Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2022 Given the long history of mystery-box shows better at teasing ideas than delivering them, such skepticism isn’t necessarily unwarranted. — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2022 As a result, when the discovery of an apparently dark-matter-poor galaxy was first announced, skepticism was significant. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 15 Feb. 2022 Most people understood some of the demonstrators' frustrations, but the excessive vaccine skepticism was a non-starter, and this shutdown was already more disruptive to their lives than a quick QR scan to get into a restaurant. — Trevor Ault, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2022 See More

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

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