skeptic

noun

ˈskep-tik How to pronounce skeptic (audio)
Definition of skepticnext
as in questioner
a person who is always ready to doubt or question the truth or existence of something the demand by skeptics that believers in Bigfoot produce some hard evidence of that hairy humanoid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skeptic Big-city mayors are giving poll workers panic buttons in case election skeptics question their work. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Maybe, then, Bohm is a lesson for even the harshest skeptics. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 To be fair to the skeptics, more creators does mean more noise. — Erhan Kaya, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 In January, Watts was a guest on actor Rainn Wilson’s podcast, where Watts played devil’s advocate to Wilson’s skeptic about casual use of mind-altering substances. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for skeptic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skeptic
questioner
Noun
  • What kind of a position is that for the interviewer or the questioner to assume?
    — Agnes Callard, The New York Review of Books, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Mark Hamill, Martha Stewart, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro were some of the questioners.
    — Mark Kennedy, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Definition of questioner

Browse Nearby Words

skeletons
skeptic
skeptical
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skeptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skeptic. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All