atheist

noun

athe·​ist ˈā-thē-ist How to pronounce atheist (audio)
: a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods : one who subscribes to or advocates atheism
atheistic adjective
or atheistical
atheistically adverb

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How Agnostic Differs From Atheist

Many people are interested in distinguishing between the words agnostic and atheist. The difference is quite simple: atheist refers to someone who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods, and agnostic refers to someone who doesn’t know whether there is a god, or even if such a thing is knowable. This distinction can be troublesome to remember, but examining the origins of the two words can help.

Agnostic first appeared in 1869, (possibly coined by the English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley), and was formed from the Greek agnōstos (meaning "unknown, unknowable"). Atheist came to English from the French athéisme. Although both words share a prefix (which is probably the source of much of the confusion) the main body of each word is quite different. Agnostic shares part of its history with words such as prognosticate and prognosis, words which have something to do with knowledge or knowing something. Atheist shares roots with words such as theology and theism, which generally have something to do with God.

Examples of atheist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And this atheist will pronounce it... a blessing!... Clark Collis, EW.com, 23 June 2023 But for Hancock, coming to identify as an atheist brought a difficult question: What could sustain him day by day — through rage and grief and fear of his looming execution — without faith in a power mightier than the people who had decided to end his life? Emma Goldberg Desiree Rios, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2024 Strident atheists, for generations, have fought to curtail the free exercise of religion. Timothy P. Carney, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 No dice — Saint John the Forerunner knows Clarence is an atheist. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Jan. 2024 Many non-Jews — including atheists, Buddhists and Christians too lazy to cook — also congregate at Chinese restaurants on the holiday. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023 She was born a Muslim and became an atheist — as anyone might do after living under a perversion of religion. Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 20 Nov. 2023 Entombed in a dark place, surrounded by the threat of antisemitism and war, later exiled from Vienna to Britain, the elderly Freud, ever the heroic atheist, attempts as his final deed to come to terms with the central figure of Judaism. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023 Personally, Sam has settled into being an atheist in adulthood. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'atheist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see atheism

First Known Use

1551, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of atheist was in 1551

Dictionary Entries Near atheist

Cite this Entry

“Atheist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheist. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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