anti-skeptic
|an-ti-skep-tic|
/ˌæntiˈskɛptɪk/
against doubt / opposed to skepticism
Etymology
'anti-skeptic' originates from Greek elements: the prefix 'anti-' (Greek 'anti') meaning 'against' and 'skeptic' from Greek 'skeptikos' meaning 'inquirer' or 'one who examines'.
'skeptic' comes from Greek 'skeptikos' (from 'skeptein', 'to look, consider'), passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin (e.g. 'scepticus') and then into English as 'skeptic'. The prefix 'anti-' is from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' and has been productive in English compounds; the compound 'anti-skeptic' is a modern English formation combining these elements.
Initially the root elements conveyed 'against inquiry' or literally 'against the inquirer' in a compositional sense; over time the compound came to be used to mean 'opposed to skepticism' or 'opposed to skeptical doubt' in contemporary usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who opposes skepticism or who defends beliefs against skeptical criticism; someone against philosophical or critical doubt.
As an anti-skeptic, he often defended testimonial accounts that skeptics dismissed.
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Adjective 1
opposed to skepticism; critical of skeptical arguments or inclined to reject doubts about a claim.
Her anti-skeptic attitude made it clear she trusted eyewitness testimony over theoretical objections.
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Last updated: 2025/11/22 21:13