as in skeptic
a person who is always ready to doubt or question the truth or existence of something
a hardheaded unbeliever who demanded to see concrete evidence of any alleged UFO activity
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Recent Examples of unbeliever
An idea could be forming despite unbelievers.
—
Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 14 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, Christianity was a proselytizing religion, which commanded its followers to bring unbelievers into the fold.
—Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
Peppering dashes of humor into its brew of foreboding, the movie views the rise of an authoritarian movement through its effect on a family of unbelievers, covering a five-year period that begins in celebration and ends somewhere very different.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
No one ever converted an unbeliever with harshness, condemnation, and threats of hell.
—Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
An app called Krishna, for example, has already advised killing unbelievers and supporting India's ruling party.
—Scott Shapiro, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024
To have reservations about something that is treated as sacrosanct is to be an unbeliever, or worse, a heretic, and thus someone to be cast out.
—Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
As director of Number 10’s in-house think-tank, the Policy Unit, the unbeliever in question has hitherto been an obscure figure in Boris Johnson’s high command, albeit an important one.
—The Economist, 27 June 2020
For me, this person is always an unbeliever and the strain of making him see is considerable.
—Stephen Mirarchi, National Review, 28 Dec. 2019
Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 14 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, Christianity was a proselytizing religion, which commanded its followers to bring unbelievers into the fold.
—Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
Peppering dashes of humor into its brew of foreboding, the movie views the rise of an authoritarian movement through its effect on a family of unbelievers, covering a five-year period that begins in celebration and ends somewhere very different.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
No one ever converted an unbeliever with harshness, condemnation, and threats of hell.
—Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
An app called Krishna, for example, has already advised killing unbelievers and supporting India's ruling party.
—Scott Shapiro, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024
To have reservations about something that is treated as sacrosanct is to be an unbeliever, or worse, a heretic, and thus someone to be cast out.
—Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
As director of Number 10’s in-house think-tank, the Policy Unit, the unbeliever in question has hitherto been an obscure figure in Boris Johnson’s high command, albeit an important one.
—The Economist, 27 June 2020
For me, this person is always an unbeliever and the strain of making him see is considerable.
—Stephen Mirarchi, National Review, 28 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unbeliever
Noun
-
Companies like Runway see themselves as a bridge between the Silicon Valley hypesters and Hollywood skeptics, catering to filmmakers with tools and eschewing social applications like ByteDance’s Seesaw (The Brad Pitt-Tom Cruise fight people).—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
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This has thrilled skeptics of post-Biden Democrats, who wonder why no other potential candidate will say, as Emanuel did to Megyn Kelly, that a man cannot become a woman — and then defend that opinion to NPR.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mueller repeatedly referred questioners back to the text of his report, apparently unwilling—or unable—to add any words of his own.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Several questioners pressed Steyer on his positions on Israel’s actions in Palestine and asked him to work to divest state entities from Israeli companies.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unbeliever.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unbeliever. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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