skepticism
Skepticism (British scepticism) is a doubting attitude that withholds belief until there is good evidence; in philosophy, the view that certain knowledge is out of reach.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Definitions
- A questioning attitude toward a claim, promise or idea, in which a person waits for proof before accepting it.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In philosophy: the position that knowledge of the world cannot be fully certain, or that judgment should be suspended where proof is lacking; historically linked with Pyrrho and his followers.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In religion: doubt about religious teachings, such as revelation or the existence of God.
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Examples
- The new diet was greeted with skepticism by most nutrition researchers.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - A healthy skepticism kept her from investing in the scheme.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - There is growing skepticism about whether the project will finish on time.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - In our philosophy seminar we compared ancient skepticism with the doubts raised by Descartes.
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Usage
In everyday English skepticism means careful doubt rather than hostility. Someone who treats a claim with skepticism does not reject it outright; they want to see evidence first. That is why the word so often comes with an evaluating adjective. Healthy skepticism sounds like praise for good sense, while excessive or reflexive skepticism suggests a person who will not accept anything at all.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)The noun usually takes the prepositions about, of, toward and over: skepticism about the plan, skepticism toward advertising. Common verbs are express, voice, meet with and be greeted with, and the doubt can be deep, widespread, growing or public. Writers also reach for the adjective skeptical, as in to be skeptical of something, and for the adverb skeptically, as in she looked at him skeptically.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Spelling follows the variety of English. American English writes skepticism, skeptic and skeptical, while British, Australian and most Commonwealth writing uses scepticism, sceptic and sceptical. Webster (1913) already lists skepticism as the main form and notes that it is written also scepticism. The meaning is the same either way, so the choice depends only on the house style of the text.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Skepticism is worth separating from cynicism and pessimism. A skeptic doubts whether something is true and wants to check it. A cynic takes it for granted that people are selfish, while a pessimist is simply sure that things will go wrong. You can be skeptical of a politician's promise without believing the politician is lying.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Word forms
Regular forms according to English morphology (editorial description); the noun is normally uncountable.
word forms
| przypadek | forma |
|---|---|
| singular | skepticism |
| plural | skepticisms |
| British spelling | scepticism |
Word forms: Editorial team
Collocations
- healthy skepticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - skepticism about something
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - be greeted with skepticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - widespread skepticism
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address) - philosophical skepticism
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Synonyms · Antonyms
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)source
Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Etymology
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W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open sourcealso
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open sourceRelated words
- skeptic , person noun
- skeptical , adjective
- skeptically , adverb
- scepticism , British spelling
Related entries
Questions and answers
What does skepticism mean?
Skepticism is doubt about a claim until there is evidence for it. A skeptical person does not accept promises or new ideas straight away but waits for proof. In philosophy the word names the view that certain knowledge is very hard or impossible to reach.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)Is it skepticism or scepticism?
Both are correct. Skepticism is the American spelling, and scepticism is used in British and most other Commonwealth English. The same split applies to skeptic and sceptic, and to skeptical and sceptical.
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Editorial team (in-house source, no external address)How is skepticism different from cynicism?
A skeptic doubts a statement until there is evidence and is willing to check it. A cynic assumes that people are driven by self interest or bad motives. Skepticism is about knowledge and proof; cynicism is about judging other people's intentions.