agnostic
/æɡˈnɒstɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /æɡˈnɑːstɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ag-ˈnä-stik əg-/ (ame, mw) · /æɡˈnɒs.tɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /æɡˈnɑː.stɪk/ (ame, ipa)
agnostic — 名詞
- agnosticsingular
- agnosticsplural
1. a person who holds that whether a supreme being exists is something humans can n
不可知論者
認為神的存在無法確知的人
a person who holds that whether a supreme being exists is something humans can never be certain about
Yuna was raised in a religious family, but she now describes herself as an agnostic.
Yuna 在一個虔誠的宗教家庭長大，但她現在稱自己為不可知論者。
used with 'describe oneself as'
The debate between the atheist and the agnostic went on for hours with no clear resolution.
無神論者與不可知論者之間的辯論持續了數小時，仍未得出明確結論。
contrasted with 'atheist'
An agnostic may attend religious ceremonies out of respect for family traditions.
不可知論者可能出於尊重家庭傳統而參加宗教儀式。
During the philosophy class, Theo explained why he felt most comfortable calling himself an agnostic rather than an atheist.
在哲學課上，Theo 解釋了他為何覺得稱自己為不可知論者比無神論者更自在。
Mei's grandfather was a lifelong agnostic who nevertheless found comfort in silent prayer.
Mei 的祖父終生都是不可知論者，卻依然在靜默祈禱中找到了安慰。
- doubter
softer, less formal term; can apply to any area of uncertainty
- skeptic
implies a habit of questioning claims rather than a specific position on God
- non-believer
broader term that includes atheists; lacks the nuance of 'uncertainty about knowability'
文法句型
an agnostic
describe oneself as an agnostic
用法筆記
Commonly contrasted with 'atheist': while an atheist denies the existence of God, an agnostic simply states that the question cannot be settled by human reason.
常見錯誤
2. a person who avoids taking a clear position on a particular question or claim, o
不表態者
對特定問題不表達明確立場的人
a person who avoids taking a clear position on a particular question or claim, often because the evidence available does not seem strong enough to justify a firm conclusion
On the question of school uniforms, Diego remains an agnostic — he sees convincing arguments on both sides.
在校服問題上，Diego 仍然是不表態者——他認為雙方的論點都很有說服力。
pattern: remain an agnostic on [topic]
The senator is a self-described agnostic when it comes to immigration reform, refusing to back either party's plan.
這位參議員在移民改革議題上自稱不表態者，拒絕支持任何一黨的方案。
Kwame considers himself an agnostic on the topic of alternative medicine, not fully trusting it nor dismissing it.
Kwame 認為自己在替代醫療問題上是個不表態者——既不完全信任它，也不完全否定它。
When the journalist pushed for a verdict on the new policy, the director stayed an agnostic and asked for more data.
當記者追問他對新政策的看法時，主管保持不表態，要求取得更多數據後再說。
- undecided voter
specific to elections; less formal than 'agnostic'
- non-committal person
focuses on refusal to commit rather than on insufficient evidence
文法句型
an agnostic on/about [topic]
用法筆記
This is an extended, figurative use of the religious term. The topic is introduced with the prepositions 'on' or 'about' (e.g. 'an agnostic on immigration').
常見錯誤
agnostic — 形容詞
- agnosticpositive
- more agnosticcomparative
- most agnosticsuperlative
1. describing a person or viewpoint that regards the existence of a divine creator
不可知的
認為神的存在無法確知的
describing a person or viewpoint that regards the existence of a divine creator as something beyond what human reasoning can determine
The author's agnostic position on religion is spelled out clearly in the first chapter of the book.
作者對宗教的不可知立場在書的第一章就闡述得很清楚。
attributive use: agnostic position
Grace grew up in a strictly Christian home but describes her current outlook as broadly agnostic.
Grace 在嚴格的基督教家庭長大，但形容自己目前的世界觀大致上是不可知的。
predicative use: describes as agnostic
An agnostic perspective does not deny that God might exist — it simply says we cannot be certain either way.
不可知的觀點並不否認神可能存在——它只是說我們無法確定真相為何。
The survey found that the number of young adults holding agnostic beliefs has risen sharply over the past decade.
調查發現，抱持不可知信仰的年輕人人數在過去十年大幅上升。
Omar's family accepted his agnostic stance, valuing honesty over pretense in matters of faith.
Omar 的家人接受了他不可知的立場，認為在信仰問題上誠實比偽裝更重要。
- skeptical
broader word; can apply to any claim, not just religious ones
- unsure
informal; does not carry the philosophical weight of 'agnostic'
- questioning
implies an active search rather than settled uncertainty
文法句型
agnostic views
be agnostic about God
用法筆記
Can be used both attributively ('agnostic beliefs') and predicatively ('she is agnostic'). The predicative form is often followed by 'about' when specifying the object of uncertainty.
常見錯誤
2. not committed to any particular position on a question or issue, typically becau
不表態的
對某事不發表明確意見的
not committed to any particular position on a question or issue, typically because the available information does not clearly support one side over another
The committee remained agnostic on the funding proposal, asking for more data before making a decision.
委員會對那項資金提案保持不表態，要求在決策前取得更多數據。
pattern: remain agnostic on [topic]
Sophie's doctor was agnostic about vitamin supplements, saying the scientific evidence was still too mixed.
Sophie 的醫生對維生素補充劑不表態，表示科學證據仍然不夠明確。
pattern: agnostic about [topic]
Many voters remain agnostic about the candidates, waiting for clearer policy proposals to emerge.
許多選民仍然對候選人不表態，等待更明確的政策差異浮現。
The report takes an intentionally agnostic stance on whether the new policy should be adopted, listing pros and cons equally.
這份報告刻意對新政策是否該實施採不表態的立場，同等列出贊成與反對的觀點。
Aviv is agnostic on the question of remote work, since his team has been productive under both arrangements.
Aviv 對遠距工作的問題不表態，因為他的團隊在兩種安排下都很有生產力。
- neutral
stronger sense of deliberate impartiality; less intellectual than 'agnostic'
- uncommitted
can imply indecision rather than principled uncertainty
文法句型
be agnostic about/on [topic]
remain agnostic
用法筆記
Frequently used in formal or professional contexts (reports, committees, expert opinions). The topic is introduced with 'about' or 'on'.
常見錯誤
3. designed to function with many different operating systems, devices, or computin
跨平台的
不限定於特定系統或裝置的
designed to function with many different operating systems, devices, or computing environments instead of being built for just one specific system
The company promotes its new app as platform-agnostic, working smoothly on both Android and iOS devices.
該公司將新應用程式宣傳為跨平台產品，可在 Android 和 iOS 裝置上順暢運作。
compound: platform-agnostic
Developers prefer agnostic programming languages that can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux without changes.
開發者偏好跨平台的程式語言，能在 Windows、macOS 和 Linux 上無需修改即可執行。
attributive: agnostic programming languages
Zara chose a vendor-agnostic cloud service so her company would not be locked into a single provider.
Zara 選擇了不限供應商的雲端服務，讓她的公司不會被單一廠商綁住。
An agnostic data format allows files to be opened in any spreadsheet application, not just one brand.
跨平台的資料格式讓檔案可以在任何試算表應用程式中開啟，而不限於特定品牌。
The new smart home hub is device-agnostic and connects to products from dozens of different manufacturers.
這款新的智慧家庭中樞是不限裝置的，可以連接數十家不同製造商的產品。
- cross-platform
more common in everyday tech use; implies active support for multiple platforms rather than mere neutrality
- universal
broader claim about compatibility, not limited to platforms
- flexible
general term without the specific architecture meaning
- proprietary
tied to one company's system or format
- platform-specific
designed for only one operating environment
文法句型
platform-agnostic
device-agnostic
vendor-agnostic
用法筆記
In technology, 'agnostic' almost always appears as the second element of a compound adjective (platform-agnostic, device-agnostic, vendor-agnostic, language-agnostic). The compound usually precedes the noun it modifies.