atheism

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈeɪθiˌɪzəm/ UK /ˈeɪθiˌɪzəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
disbelief in or denial of the existence of any deity

His atheism was less a creed than a quiet absence of conviction.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · disbelief in or denial of... nontheismunbeliefgodlessnessirreligioninfidelity

Opposites

theismbelief faithreligiosity

Word family

Related forms atheist atheistictheismtheist

Etymology

From French athéisme, from Ancient Greek átheos ('without a god, godless'), from a- ('without') + theós ('god'), plus -ism.

átheos Ancient Greek theós Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# atheism

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

## Meanings
1. disbelief in or denial of the existence of any deity

## Examples
- His atheism was less a creed than a quiet absence of conviction.

## Synonyms
- nontheism
- unbelief
- godlessness
- irreligion
- infidelity

## Antonyms
- theism
- belief
- faith
- religiosity

## Related Forms
- atheist
- atheistic
- theism
- theist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: átheos
- Root: theós

## Etymology
From French athéisme, from Ancient Greek átheos ('without a god, godless'), from a- ('without') + theós ('god'), plus -ism.

## AI Etymology
atheism comes from French athéisme, from Ancient Greek átheos ('without a god, godless'), from a- ('without') + theós ('god'), plus -ism. 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 "disbelief in or denial of the existence of any deity", 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 atheist, atheistic, theism, theist, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Ancient Greek átheos, Ancient Greek theós, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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