Crossword clues for skeptic
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Skeptic \Skep"tic\, n. [Gr. skeptiko`s thoughtful, reflective, fr. ske`ptesqai to look carefully or about, to view, consider: cf. L. scepticus, F. sceptique. See Scope.]
One who is yet undecided as to what is true; one who is looking or inquiring for what is true; an inquirer after facts or reasons.
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(Metaph.) A doubter as to whether any fact or truth can be certainly known; a universal doubter; a Pyrrhonist; hence, in modern usage, occasionally, a person who questions whether any truth or fact can be established on philosophical grounds; sometimes, a critical inquirer, in opposition to a dogmatist.
All this criticism [of Hume] proceeds upon the erroneous hypothesis that he was a dogmatist. He was a skeptic; that is, he accepted the principles asserted by the prevailing dogmatism: and only showed that such and such conclusions were, on these principles, inevitable.
--Sir W. Hamilton. -
(Theol.) A person who doubts the existence and perfections of God, or the truth of revelation; one who disbelieves the divine origin of the Christian religion.
Suffer not your faith to be shaken by the sophistries of skeptics.
--S. Clarke.Note: This word and its derivatives are often written with c instead of k in the first syllable, -- sceptic, sceptical, scepticism, etc. Dr. Johnson, struck with the extraordinary irregularity of giving c its hard sound before e, altered the spelling, and his example has been followed by most of the lexicographers who have succeeded him; yet the prevalent practice among English writers and printers is in favor of the other mode. In the United States this practice is reversed, a large and increasing majority of educated persons preferring the orthography which is most in accordance with etymology and analogy.
Syn: Infidel; unbeliever; doubter. -- See Infidel.
Skeptic \Skep"tic\, Skeptical \Skep"tic*al\, a. [Written also sceptic, sceptical.]
Of or pertaining to a sceptic or skepticism; characterized by skepticism; hesitating to admit the certainly of doctrines or principles; doubting of everything.
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(Theol.) Doubting or denying the truth of revelation, or the sacred Scriptures.
The skeptical system subverts the whole foundation of morals.
--R. Hall. [1913 Webster] -- Skep"tac*al*ly, adv. -- Skep"tic*al*ness, n.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
also sceptic, 1580s, "member of an ancient Greek school that doubted the possibility of real knowledge," from Middle French sceptique and directly from Latin scepticus "the sect of the Skeptics," from Greek skeptikos (plural Skeptikoi "the Skeptics, followers of Pyrrho"), noun use of adjective meaning "inquiring, reflective" (the name taken by the disciples of the Greek philosopher Pyrrho, who lived c.360-c.270 B.C.E.), related to skeptesthai "to reflect, look, view" (see scope (n.1)).\nSkeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found. [Miguel de Unamuno, "Essays and Soliloquies," 1924]\nThe extended sense of "one with a doubting attitude" first recorded 1610s. The sk- spelling is an early 17c. Greek revival and is preferred in U.S. As a verb, scepticize (1690s) failed to catch on.
Wiktionary
alt. 1 Someone who habitually doubts beliefs and claims presented as accepted by others, requiring strong evidence before accepting any belief or claim. 2 Someone undecided as to what is true. 3 A type of agnostic n. 1 Someone who habitually doubts beliefs and claims presented as accepted by others, requiring strong evidence before accepting any belief or claim. 2 Someone undecided as to what is true. 3 A type of agnostic
WordNet
Wikipedia
Skeptic is a promotional single by American metal band Slipknot from their fifth major label studio album .5: The Gray Chapter. The song was first released as a promo/digital single on October 17, 2014. It was released on the same day as " Killpop". It was the sixth promotional single and eighth overall single released from the album. The song is a tribute piece to late bassist Paul Gray who died of a drug overdose in May 2010.
Skeptic, colloquially known as Skeptic magazine, is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. Founded by Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society, the magazine was first published in the spring of 1992 and is published through Millennium Press. Shermer remains the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine and the magazine’s Co-publisher and Art Director is Pat Linse. Other noteworthy members of its editorial board include Oxford University evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist Jared Diamond, magician and escape artist turned educator James “The Amazing” Randi, actor, comedian, and '' Saturday Night Live '' alumna Julia Sweeney, professional mentalist Mark Edward, Science writer Daniel Loxton, Lawrence M. Krauss and Christof Koch Skeptic has an international circulation with over 50,000 subscriptions and is on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe, Australia, and other countries.
Skepticism or Scepticism, in philosophy, is a term denoting a position of question or doubt about something.
Skeptic(s) or Sceptic(s) may also refer to:
- The Skeptic (UK magazine), founded by Wendy M. Grossman, examines secularism and the paranormal.
- Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a non-profit organization to encourage the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science.
- Skeptical Inquirer, magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
- The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs.
- Skeptic (U.S. magazine), magazine of The Skeptics Society, edited by Michael Shermer.
- The Skeptic's Dictionary, a collection of essays by Robert Todd Carroll.
- Skepticism (band), a metal band from Finland.
- The Skeptics, a New Zealand post-punk band from 1979 to 1990.
Usage examples of "skeptic".
In each case, the skeptics at the time grumbled that these theories were being oversold and that the results were either wrong or obvious.
The Herbartians have the hardihood, in this age of moral skeptics, to believe not only in moral example but also in moral teaching.
He may ultimately have become what a theologian would call a skeptic Pyrrhonist, but even his disbeliefs he did not force upon anyone.
Shem Tov the Sephardi started as a philosophical skeptic who had examined other systems first.
Safwan, the incredible images captured by combat videographers on the ground - which confirmed for believers and skeptics both that a new era had dawned, and there would be no going back.
They are always there behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, skeptics before the cadences of life, and in winter they will still be there, in place, wearing hats and coats indoors on the coldest nights, tossing cards through the dense smoke.
If he started spouting lies about his hopes of debating the skeptics of the artificial life mafia in some future issue of Cellular Automaton World, she'd probably start screaming.
Maurine, broad-mindedly, even told him that she would not object to the use of "the Skeptic form of services.
They appealed to Ish, who was something of a leader, especially in things intellectual, Maurine, broad-mindedly, even told him that she would not object to the use of "the Skeptic form of services.
That is why I often find it necessary to depend on reason to convince skeptics of the validity of my case.
The hunter's bone spades are used to dig up the root, which is forked and has something of a human shape -- skeptics point to the shape as the basis of an ignorant folk religion -- and the small pliable knives are used to clean the tiny tendrils called beards, which are supposed to be crucial to the curative powers.
The hunter's bone spades are used to dig up the root, which is forked and has something of a human shape skeptics point to the shape as the basis of an ignorant folk religion and the small pliable knives are used to clean the tiny tendrils called beards, which are supposed to be crucial to the curative powers.
There were diverse personalities alive within the collective boundaries of the plasma cloud: long-winded bores, excited explorers, passionate visionaries, skeptics, cranks, poets, philosophers, fussbudgets, free thinkers, reactionaries, radicals, and scientists.
Skeptics, though, said the hat tip was just a trick Onofre had learned to do by wiggling his scalp.
Vienna meteorological experts ruled out the possibility that the sighting was any normal natural phenomena, but skeptics viewed the photograph itself with a hypercritical eye.