skepticism

noun

skep·​ti·​cism ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object

2

a

: the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain

b

: the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics

3

: doubt concerning basic religious principles (such as immortality, providence, and revelation)

Synonyms

• distrust
• distrustfulness
• doubt
• dubiety
• dubitation [archaic]
• incertitude
• misdoubt
• misgiving
• mistrust
• mistrustfulness
• query
• reservation
• suspicion
• uncertainty

Choose the Right Synonym for skepticism

uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, mistrust mean lack of sureness about someone or something.

uncertainty may range from a falling short of certainty to an almost complete lack of conviction or knowledge especially about an outcome or result.

assumed the role of manager without hesitation or uncertainty

doubt suggests both uncertainty and inability to make a decision.

plagued by doubts as to what to do

dubiety stresses a wavering between conclusions.

felt some dubiety about its practicality

skepticism implies unwillingness to believe without conclusive evidence.

an economic forecast greeted with skepticism

suspicion stresses lack of faith in the truth, reality, fairness, or reliability of something or someone.

regarded the stranger with suspicion

mistrust implies a genuine doubt based upon suspicion.

had a great mistrust of doctors

Examples of skepticism in a Sentence

She regarded the researcher's claims with skepticism.

It's good to maintain a healthy skepticism about fad diets.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, skepticism remains, with industry leaders such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang cautioning that meaningful commercial quantum applications could still be decades away. —Dr. Ekta Dang, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025

None of this is required when a company initially sets out to obtain an H-1B visa for a foreign worker, and there has long been skepticism around whether employers really put the effort into this process that they are required. —William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025

The decision was met with skepticism by some passengers, with many questioning the severity of the situation, Davenport says. —Ashley Vega, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

Jack Schlossberg made his snarky pitch in an Instagram video Thursday addressed to the wife of his cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was made Trump’s secretary of health and human services — despite his skepticism of life-saving vaccines. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for skepticism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

skepticism

noun

skep·​ti·​cism ˈskep-tə-ˌsiz-əm 

: an attitude of doubt