plural theist
: a believer in theism : a person who believes in the existence of a god or gods
specifically
: one who believes in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race
Not surprisingly, both scientific skeptics and theists whose ideas of God center primarily on the notion of "intelligent design" have found Darwinian ideas religiously incoherent. —
John F. Haught
John F. Haught 
Examples of theist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is a certain irony in that nearly all those cited were people of Christian faith — in order of appearance: practicing Catholic; passionate theist; committed Church of Scotland; and lifelong Lutheran.
—Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
This doesn't mean that more atheist societies are worse than more theist societies (e.g., Estonia vs. Romania).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2011
Philosophical critics and subsequent scientific inquiry heaped doubt on Kant’s objectivism, and advancing secularism rendered for many his theist explanation for the morally reasoning immortal soul somewhat antique.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2023
Today Unitarianism is predominantly a non-Christian denomination, with about a half and half split between 'humanist' and 'theist' Unitarians.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2011
Denis Alexander, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2023
This doesn't mean that more atheist societies are worse than more theist societies (e.g., Estonia vs. Romania).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2011
Philosophical critics and subsequent scientific inquiry heaped doubt on Kant’s objectivism, and advancing secularism rendered for many his theist explanation for the morally reasoning immortal soul somewhat antique.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2023
Today Unitarianism is predominantly a non-Christian denomination, with about a half and half split between 'humanist' and 'theist' Unitarians.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2011
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'theist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near theist
Cite this Entry
“Theist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theist. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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