skeptic

== English == === Alternative forms === sceptic (UK) sceptick, skeptick (both obsolete) === Etymology === Borrowed from Middle French sceptique (but with a pronunciation closer to that of the Latin etymon), or possibly directly from Late Latin scepticus (originally attested only in the plural Scepticī (“the sect of Skeptics”)), from Proto-Italic *spektos (“see, observing”), from *speḱ- (“to see”), compare to σκοπέω (skopéō, “to view, examine”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈskɛp.tɪk/ Rhymes: -ɛptɪk === Noun === skeptic (plural skeptics) (American spelling) Someone who doubts beliefs, claims, plans, etc. that are accepted by others as true or appropriate, especially one who habitually does so. Coordinate term: cynic 2011 June 23, United States House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce, Insourcing Gone Awry: Outsourcing Small Business Jobs, page 53: Even skeptics of the policy acknowledge that the Army conducted an exemplary insourcing program that successfully counteracted the Comptroller's budget ... (in particular) Someone who is skeptical towards religion. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === skeptic (comparative more skeptic, superlative most skeptic) Skeptical. ==== Derived terms ==== === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “skeptic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “skeptic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “skeptic”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “skeptic”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === pickest, pickets, septick, spicket