skeptical

adjective

skep·​ti·​cal ˈskep-ti-kəl 

: relating to, characteristic of, or marked by skepticism

a skeptical listener

skeptically

ˈskep-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• disbelieving
• distrustful
• doubting
• incredulous
• mistrustful
• negativistic
• questioning
• show-me
• suspecting
• suspicious
• unbelieving

Examples of skeptical in a Sentence

She's highly skeptical of the researchers' claims.

He says he can win, but I remain skeptical.

When I said I'd finished my homework early, Mom looked skeptical.

Recent Examples on the Web

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about how big an impact Llama’s sinicization will actually have. —David Meyer, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024

Americans have grown increasingly skeptical of survey research in recent years, in no small part due to flawed models that repeatedly overestimated the strength of Democratic candidates in the last two national elections. —WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024

As the premiere of part 2 on Nov. 7 approaches, fans are increasingly skeptical about what lies ahead for the Pogues. —Julia Moore, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024

The Great Buck Howard (2008) In this mostly dull bauble about a kid (Colin Hanks) who works for a possibly fraudulent huckster magician (John Malkovich), Hanks shows up briefly as a skeptical dad. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

skeptical

adjective

skep·​ti·​cal ˈskep-ti-kəl 

: relating to or marked by doubt

skeptically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb