ATHEISTIC Synonyms: 39 Similar and Opposite Words

atheistic

adjective

Definition of atheistic

as in agnostic

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of atheistic His father's death during World War II influenced his pursuit of the ministry even amid the officially atheistic communist regime of the Soviet Union, according to his obituary on the OCU website. — ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026 But there has been a recent rise in secular congregations that explicitly mimic religious organizations and rituals to celebrate atheistic worldviews. — Jacqui Frost, The Conversation, 11 Jan. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atheistic

Adjective

The study included participants who identified as evangelical Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Sikh, mainline Protestant, Hindu and Buddhist, as well as those who identified as agnostic, atheist or spiritual but nonreligious.

— City News Service, Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
The framework is technology agnostic and takes into account the physical inputs need to build and operate a fusion power plant which is competitive in energy markets.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of agnostic

Adjective

Before that, the monarchy had promoted a more secular and westernized image of women.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Whether to use the stations is a private choice, and any individual may use the facilities for either a secular or religious purpose.

— Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of secular

Adjective

Among all the far-off places, and all the deserted and unknown cities, among all the lawless, godless regions, the Guayrá was an oasis.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
Sometimes this was committed to good, such as the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps, and sometimes to ill, as in a series of military blunders meant to quash godless Communism.

— Jim Rasenberger, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026

Definition of godless

Adjective

Because materialism had an irreligious connotation, Hattem says it was left out of the national conversation until the Gilded Age of the 1920s, when people start saying the quiet part out loud.

— Cari Shane, USA Today, 25 June 2026
This story is told by an unnamed narrator, an irreligious woman who has joined the nuns as a lay resident after her faith in environmental advocacy crumbled.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of irreligious

Adjective

But when The Satanic Verses was published in 1988, the novel was declared by some as blasphemous, and then-Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for Rushdie to be assassinated, leading the author to go into hiding until 1998.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Iran's supreme leader, denounced the book as blasphemous, leading to a call for Rushdie's death in 1989, according to the Department of Justice.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Definition of blasphemous

Adjective

Many other traditionalists have made a version of Scruton’s critique, insisting that contemporary art reflects self-indulgent, relativistic, and impious tendencies.

— Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
While no formal announcement has been made to update its longstanding alcohol ban, Andrew Leber of Tulane University said this is in line with the Kingdom’s past approach to such potentially impious reforms.

— Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

Definition of impious

Adjective

And as Maruša pushes back her departure again and again, Alja’s behavior becomes more erratic — dark and deeply sad revelations that Menart tempers with a delicately irreverent sense of humor.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
Jack in the Box has some of the same ingredients — an irreverent brand voice, a broad menu and a willingness to experiment — but needs to turn them into a more coherent proposition.

— Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of irreverent

Adjective

That led to cycles of reform and renovation, as well as backlash, chiefly from cultural conservatives, who saw the adoption of western European habits and attitudes as abominable and even heretical.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
In the 14th century, Bibles in English became associated with John Wycliffe, a priest who criticized corruption in the Catholic Church, and whose views on Holy Communion the church had declared heretical.

— Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026

Definition of heretical

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“Atheistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atheistic. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of atheistic

adjective

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