Word
atheism
Phoneticsathe·ism
US/ˈeɪθiˌɪzəm/
UK/ˈeɪθɪˌɪzəm/
Definitions
01lack of belief in gods
n. the belief that no gods exist, or simply not having a belief in any gods.
n. the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings; the absence of theistic belief.
“He discussed his atheism openly, explaining why he did not follow any religion.”
“The philosopher argued that atheism is not necessarily a belief system itself, but rather a rejection of theistic claims due to lack of evidence.”
Usage
Usually uncountable; often used without an article.
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02historical rejection of specific gods
n. in the past, this meant not believing in the specific gods of a certain society.
n. the historical application of the term to those who rejected the state-sanctioned deities, even if they believed in other gods.
“In ancient times, people were sometimes accused of atheism for refusing to worship the local gods.”
“Early Christians were ironically accused of atheism by Roman authorities because they denied the existence of the traditional pagan pantheon.”
Archaic · Formal
Teaching tip
This sense is archaic; modern learners should only use this word to mean a general lack of belief in any god.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)). First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/atheism