skeptic

noun

skep·​tic ˈskep-tik 

1

: an adherent or advocate of skepticism

2

: a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding religion or religious principles

Synonyms

• questioner

Examples of skeptic in a Sentence

Skeptics have pointed out flaws in the researchers' methods.

You can believe in ghosts if you like, but I'm still a skeptic.

He is a skeptic and a cynic.

Recent Examples on the Web

His optimism has been borne out by an economy that has surprised to the upside consistently throughout 2025, with skeptics warning the impact of tariffs and wider macroeconomic uncertainty would surely show up soon in the data. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025

There are plenty of skeptics countering the AI hype machine, though few professional market analysts have done so as stridently as Julien Garran, a researcher and partner at the UK firm MacroStrategy Partnership. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025

In the weeks that followed, the secretary also removed every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, replacing them with a merry band of loyalists and skeptics. —Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025

But the plan has skeptics, too. —Joel Rose, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin or Greek; Latin scepticus, from Greek skeptikos, from skeptikos thoughtful, from skeptesthai to look, consider — more at spy

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for skeptic

• peptic
• sceptic
• septic
• antiepileptic
• antiseptic
• epileptic
• neuroleptic
• aseptic
• dyspeptic
• organoleptic

Kids Definition

skeptic

noun

skep·​tic ˈskep-tik 

: a person slow to believe or ready to question : doubter