nonbelief

noun

non·​be·​lief ˌnän-bə-ˈlēf How to pronounce nonbelief (audio)
: absence or lack of belief
especially : absence or lack of religious belief
nonbelief in God
We turn to Dawkins not for his views on sundry social topics, but for clarity on religion and nonbelief. Jeffrey Tayler

Examples of nonbelief in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But Einstein also closed his letter with a sentiment that is often overlooked in the complicated and, in fact, wildly diverse landscape of American nonbelief, including atheism and its less strident cousin, agnosticism. Harry Bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2019 In the mid-2000s, atheist figures such as the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, a writer who has a doctorate in neuroscience, brought nonbelief into the public sphere—and onto the New York Times bestseller list. Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2018 Yet, religious nonbelief is often heavily stigmatized, potentially leading many atheists to refrain from outing themselves even in anonymous polls. Scott Canon, kansascity, 1 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonbelief.' 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

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonbelief was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near nonbelief

Cite this Entry

“Nonbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonbelief. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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