atheist

[ey-thee-ist]

noun

1. a person who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

2. a person who believes that there is no supreme being or beings.

atheist

/ ˈeɪθɪˌɪst /

noun

1. a person who does not believe in God or gods

adjective

1. of or relating to atheists or atheism

Other Word Forms

• antiatheist noun
• proatheist noun
• atheistic adjective
• atheistically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of atheist¹

First recorded in 1565–75; from Greek áthe(os) “godless” + -ist; a- ⁶ ( def. ), theo-

Synonym Study

See agnostic.

Example Sentences

Together, the characters represent the spectrum of religious attitudes — from atheist to convert, selectively to very observant — but all are steeped in the culture.

From Los Angeles Times

Welch says she was raised by atheists, while Sullivan grew up in a religious household.

From Salon

Right-wing movies like “God’s Not Dead” conflate having to tolerate difference with outright persecution, as if merely allowing an atheist to exist undisturbed is the same as being crucified.

From Salon

Whether one identifies as an atheist, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, or subscribes to countless other forms of spiritual worship, our world is shaped by Christian thought.

From Salon

Initially, it was billed as "1 Christian versus 20 atheists," but then one of the atheists outed Peterson, by simply asking Peterson a simple question: "Am I not talking to a Christian?"

From Salon

Related Words

• agnostic 
• doubting Thomas 
• skeptic 
• unbeliever 

When To Use

What does atheist mean?

An atheist is a person who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being or deity. In other words, an atheist is a person who does not believe in the existence of God or of any gods.The belief or doctrine that denies the existence of gods or supreme beings is atheism. Atheist can also be used as an adjective to describe such beliefs or things involving such beliefs. The adjective atheistic can be used in the same way.The word atheist means something different from the word agnostic, which refers to a person who believes it is impossible to know whether or not a supreme being exists. When asked if God or gods exist, an atheist would answer “No,” while an agnostic would answer “It is impossible to know.”Example: Being an atheist doesn’t mean I think God is bad—it means that I think God doesn’t exist.