agnostic

agnostic
—agnostically, adv.
/ag nos"tik/, n.
1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.
2. a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge in some area of study.
adj.
3. of or pertaining to agnostics or agnosticism.
4. asserting the uncertainty of all claims to knowledge.
[ < Gk ágnost(os), var. of ÁGNOTOS not known, incapable of being known (a- A-6 + gnotós known, adj. deriv. from base of gignóskein to know) + -IC, after GNOSTIC; said to have been coined by T.H. Huxley in 1869]
Syn. 1. See atheist.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • agnostic — AGNÓSTIC, Ă, agnostici, ce, adj., s.m. şi f. 1. adj. Care aparţine agnosticismului, privitor la agnosticism. 2. s.m. şi f. Adept al agnosticismului. – Din fr. agnostique. Trimis de ana zecheru, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  agnóstic …   Dicționar Român

  • agnostic — (n.) 1870, one who professes that the existence of a First Cause and the essential nature of things are not and cannot be known [Klein]; coined by T.H. Huxley (1825 1895), supposedly in September 1869, from Gk. agnostos unknown, unknowable, from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • agnostic — [ag näs′tik] n. [coined (1870) by HUXLEY Thomas Henry < A 2 + GNOSTIC] a person who believes that the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena adj. of or characteristic of an… …   English World dictionary

  • Agnostic — Ag*nos tic, a. [Gr. a priv. + ? knowing, ? to know.] Professing ignorance; involving no dogmatic; pertaining to or involving agnosticism. {Ag*nos tic*al*ly}, adv. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Agnostic — Ag*nos tic, n. One who professes ignorance, or denies that we have any knowledge, save of phenomena; one who supports agnosticism, neither affirming nor denying the existence of a personal Deity, a future life, etc. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • agnostic — index skeptical Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • agnostic — n *atheist, deist, freethinker, unbeliever, infidel …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • agnostic — [n] person unsure that God exists doubter, freethinker, materialist, skeptic, unbeliever; concept 361 Ant. believer …   New thesaurus

  • agnostic — ► NOUN ▪ a person who believes that nothing can be known concerning the existence of God. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to agnostics. DERIVATIVES agnosticism noun …   English terms dictionary

  • Agnostic — the philosophical view that the truth values of certain claims particularly theological claims regarding the existence of God, gods, or deities are unknown, inherently unknowable, or incoherent, and therefore, (some agnostics may go as far to… …   Mini philosophy glossary

  • agnostic — [[t]ægnɒ̱stɪk[/t]] agnostics 1) N COUNT An agnostic believes that it is not possible to know whether God exists or not. Compare atheist. Vasari claimed with horror that he was, if not an atheist, then an agnostic. Syn: unbeliever 2) ADJ Agnostic… …   English dictionary

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