Agency Dictionary
Skeptic
nounPronunciation: /ˈskɛp.tɪk/
In Portuguese: Cético
Philosophy & EthicsWhat does “Skeptic” mean?
A person inclined to question, doubt, or suspend judgment regarding accepted opinions, claims, or apparent facts until verifiable proof is presented.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek skeptikos (inquiring, reflective, thoughtful), from skeptesthai (to look, examine, consider), related to skopein (to look at). The Skeptics were an ancient Greek philosophical school that suspended judgment on all matters as the proper response to uncertainty.
Usage note
Skeptic in everyday use means someone who doubts a specific claim; in philosophy it names a follower of skepticism as a formal position on the limits of knowledge.
Synonyms
- doubter
- questioner
- disbeliever
Word family
- skepticism
- skeptical
- skeptically
Rhymes with
- septic
- peptic
Usage examples
Empiricism regards a skeptic foundation that emphasizes the role of experience and observation in acquiring knowledge.
Concepts
- EmpiricismEmpiricism is an epistemological doctrine asserting that all knowledge arises primarily from sensory experience and observable evidence. It opposes rationalist accounts…
- Intellectual AutonomyIntellectual autonomy is the capacity and willingness of a thinker to formulate beliefs, make evaluations, and pursue truth through independent critical reasoning rather…
- Is-Ought ProblemThe is-ought problem is an ethical and epistemological principle stating that one cannot logically deduce prescriptive moral obligations merely from descriptive factual…
- Socratic IgnoranceSocratic ignorance is a stance of intellectual humility that recognizes the severe limitations of human knowledge, encapsulated by the maxim that one knows that one knows…
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- Antithesisnoun
- A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
- Discursiveadjective
- Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
- Treatisenoun
- A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
- Maximnoun
- A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
- rhetoricnoun
- The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
- Tangibleadjective
- Perceptible by the sense of touch or capable of being physically grasped and measured in concrete physical reality. It distinguishes concrete material products from virtual or intellectual entities.
- Holisticadjective
- Characterized by the comprehension of parts as intimately interconnected and explicable only in reference to the whole.
- Abyssnoun
- A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
- Affectnoun
- An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
- Agapenoun
- A selfless, unconditional, and altruistic form of love often associated in theology with divine charity.
- Ambiguitynoun
- The quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness or uncertainty of meaning.
Also from these editions: terms
- Desolationnoun
- A state of complete emptiness, loneliness, or destruction; deep sorrow caused by abandonment or acute loss.
- Discernmentnoun
- The ability to judge well, perceive keen distinctions, and grasp obscure psychological or practical truths.
- Dogmaticadjective
- Characterized by the expression of opinions strongly and as if they were unquestionable facts without proper evidential backing.
- Empiricistnoun
- A person who supports the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience. In practice, an empiricist insists on tangible observation and verifiable testing before accepting a claim.
- Hemlocknoun
- A highly poisonous biennial herbaceous plant of the parsley family with small white flowers, historically used as a method of state execution in classical Greece.
- metamodernadjective
- Relating to a cultural paradigm that oscillates between modern sincerity and postmodern irony.
- Obsoleteadjective
- No longer produced or used; out of date because a newer, more efficient replacement has emerged.
- Rationalistnoun
- A person who bases their opinions and actions on reason and logic rather than on religious belief or emotional response. In philosophy, a rationalist maintains that knowledge is primarily innate and deduced.
- Secularadjective
- Denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis; worldly rather than sacred.
- Superficialitynoun
- The quality of lacking depth of character, serious thought, or profound substance, remaining confined to outward appearances.
- Inertianoun
- The tendency of an object to remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force, or a state of sluggish inaction in organizations.
Also from these editions: concepts
- PlatoPlato was a philosopher of ancient Athens, a student of Socrates and the author of dialogues such as the Republic and the Symposium. The Agency editorial returns to him…
- SocratesSocrates was a philosopher of Athens in the fifth century BCE who left no writings and is known through his students, above all Plato. The Agency editorial names him in…
- Jacques-Louis DavidJacques-Louis David was a French painter, the leading name of Neoclassicism, who painted The Death of Socrates in 1787. The Agency editorial names him twice and only for…
- Marcus AureliusMarcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor of the second century and a Stoic philosopher, known for the book called Meditations. In the Agency editorial, Issue.7 names him among…
- Carry on Wayward SonCarry on Wayward Son is a song by Kansas listed in the Chords music recommendation section of Issue.10. The edition presents the song with its title and band name, with…
- CiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE) was a Roman statesman, orator and writer. Issue.10 names him once, as the credit of a sentence about books in the caption of the…
- Franz Joseph HaydnFranz Joseph Haydn (1732 to 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. Issue.10 names him once, with Mozart and Beethoven, in a list of what the…
- Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei (1564 to 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and mathematician. Issue.10 names him once, with Isaac Newton, in a list of what the Enlightenment…
- Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician, known for the laws of motion and universal gravitation published in the Principia (1687). Issue.10 names him…
- Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist, author of nine symphonies. Issue.10 names him once, in the author's prose, in the section on the…
- Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a composer born in Salzburg, author of operas such as Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Issue.10 names him once, in the author's…