agnosticism

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /æɡˈnɑstɪˌsɪzəm/ UK /aɡˈnɒstɪsɪzəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the view that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable

He drifted from firm belief into a comfortable agnosticism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the view that the existence... skepticism doubt unbelieffreethinking

Opposites

theismbeliefgnosticismdogmatism

Word family

Related forms agnosticgnosticismgnostic

Etymology

From agnostic (coined by T. H. Huxley in 1869) + -ism; ultimately from Ancient Greek ágnōstos ('unknowable'), from a- ('not') + gnōstós ('known').

ágnōstos Ancient Greek *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# agnosticism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /æɡˈnɑstɪˌsɪzəm/
**IPA (UK):** /aɡˈnɒstɪsɪzəm/

## Meanings
1. the view that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable

## Examples
- He drifted from firm belief into a comfortable agnosticism.

## Synonyms
- skepticism
- doubt
- unbelief
- freethinking

## Antonyms
- theism
- belief
- gnosticism
- dogmatism

## Related Forms
- agnostic
- gnosticism
- gnostic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ágnōstos
- Root: *ǵneh₃-

## Etymology
From agnostic (coined by T. H. Huxley in 1869) + -ism; ultimately from Ancient Greek ágnōstos ('unknowable'), from a- ('not') + gnōstós ('known').

## AI Etymology
agnosticism comes from agnostic (coined by T. H. Huxley in 1869) + -ism; ultimately from Ancient Greek ágnōstos ('unknowable'), from a- ('not') + gnōstós ('known'). Morphologically, the word is transparent: -ism is attached to the older base named in the history, so the modern form packages an inherited or borrowed stem inside a later English derivative. In modern use, the noun sense is "the view that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as agnostic, gnosticism, gnostic, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Ancient Greek ágnōstos, Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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