skeptical
skeptical Lexical Profile
skeptical Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
American Not easily convinced; having or expressing doubts, reservations, or questioning attitudes toward accepted claims or statements.
"The researchers remained skeptical of the preliminary findings until the experiment could be independently replicated."
American Relating to the philosophical doctrine that true knowledge or certainty in a particular area is uncertain or impossible.
"Descartes employed a skeptical methodology to strip away all beliefs that could possibly be doubted."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled "skeptical" in American English and "sceptical" in British and Commonwealth English. It is also frequently distinguished from "cynical": a skeptical person requires evidence before believing a claim, whereas a cynical person assumes that human motives are inherently selfish or insincere.
• Rhymes for skeptical
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the noun "skeptic," which comes via Latin scepticus from Ancient Greek skeptikos, meaning "inquiring" or "reflective," from the verb skeptesthai ("to look about" or "to consider").