atheist

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

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Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Usage notes 1.3.2 Related terms 1.3.3 Translations 1.3.4 See also 1.4 Anagrams

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From French athéiste (athée + -iste) < Latin atheos < Ancient Greek ἄθεος (atheos), “‘godless, without god’”) < ἀ- (a-), “‘without’”) + θεός (theos), “‘god’”)..

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈeɪθiɪst/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Hyphenation: a‧the‧ist

[edit] Noun

atheist (plural atheists)

1. A person without a belief in, or one who lacks belief in the existence of gods.
   • 2006, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, page 51:

     Atheists do not have faith; and reason alone could not propel one to total conviction that anything definitely does not exist.

2. A person who believes that no deities exist; one who denies the existence of all gods.

[edit] Usage notes

• (one who lacks belief in the existence of gods): Note the difference between the two senses. In general, those who identify themselves as atheists say they do not have a belief, while those who are believers identify atheists using the second sense, someone who denies the existence. This reflects the different underlying philosophies—the religious see belief or faith as valid; the non-religious do not. (This is the substance of the Dawkins quotation.)

[edit] Related terms

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• agnostic
• agnosticism
• belief
• deist
• deity
• pandeist

[edit] Anagrams

• Alphagram: aehistt
• staithe