skepticism

/ˈskeptɪsɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈskeptɪsɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm/ (ame, mw)

skepticism — noun

1. a habit of not fully believing claims, promises, or predictions until there is g

1.名詞C1
釋義

a habit of not fully believing claims, promises, or predictions until there is good proof

例句

Investors greeted the mayor's recovery plan with skepticism after last year's budget cuts.

greet a plan with skepticism

Yasmin listened with skepticism when the salesman promised free repairs for life.

skepticism when someone makes a promise

同義詞
  • doubt

    more general and often more personal; skepticism suggests a steadier habit of questioning

  • suspicion

    often implies a fear that something bad or dishonest is involved, while skepticism can be neutral

  • mistrust

    focuses more on lack of trust in a person or system than on questioning evidence

反義詞
  • trust

    a readiness to believe that someone or something is reliable or true

  • credulity

    too easy a willingness to believe what one hears

文法句型

skepticism + about/toward + noun phrase

with skepticism

用法筆記

Often followed by about or toward to name what someone does not fully believe. It usually suggests caution and reserve, not complete rejection.

常見錯誤

❌Everyone showed skepticism to the plan.
✅Everyone showed skepticism about the plan.
💡Skepticism is usually followed by about or toward, not to.
❌Her skepticism proves the rumor is false.
✅Her skepticism shows she doubts the rumor, but it does not prove it false.
💡Skepticism means doubt, not certainty.

2. the philosophical position that people cannot be fully certain that ultimate tru

2.名詞C2
釋義

the philosophical position that people cannot be fully certain that ultimate truth or complete knowledge can be proved

例句

In her first philosophy class, Hyun studied skepticism and other theories about knowledge.

study skepticism in philosophy

The essay explains skepticism as a view that certainty is never complete.

skepticism as a philosophical view

同義詞
  • agnosticism

    often concerns what can be known, especially in religion, but it is usually narrower than skepticism

  • doubt

    far broader and more everyday; it is not a formal theory of knowledge

反義詞
  • certainty

    the belief that something can be known without doubt

  • dogmatism

    the habit of accepting fixed truths without questioning them

文法句型

philosophical skepticism

skepticism + about + knowledge/truth

用法筆記

Used mainly in philosophy and academic writing. It refers to a theory about the limits of knowledge, not just ordinary doubt about one report or event.

常見錯誤

❌His skepticism about the weather is a philosophy.
✅His skepticism about the weather is ordinary doubt, not philosophical skepticism.
💡This sense is for a theory about knowledge.
❌She became a skepticism after reading the book.
✅She became a skeptic after reading the book.
💡Skepticism is the attitude or doctrine; skeptic is the person.