Word
infidel
Phoneticsin·fi·del
US/ˈɪnfɪˌdɛɫ/
UK/ˈɪnfɪdəl/
Definitions
01a non-believer
n. a person who does not believe in a religion, especially the one that is most common in their society.
n. a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially one considered the 'true' faith by the speaker. Often carries a strong derogatory or hostile tone.
“In the old story, the knight refused to speak to the infidel.”
“The historical chronicles often depicted the opposing army as a host of infidels, serving to justify the conflict on religious grounds.”
Formal · Literary
02lacking faith
adj. describing someone who does not have religious faith or something related to them.
adj. relating to or characteristic of unbelievers or those who reject a specific religious doctrine.
“The king was worried about the infidel ideas spreading through his land.”
“The treatise was written to protect the youth from what the author described as infidel influences emerging from the neighboring territories.”
Formal · Literary
Usage
Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun.
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested 1460, from Middle French infidèle, from Latin īnfidēlis (“unfaithful”), from in- (“not”) + fidēlis (“faithful”). See fidelity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/infidel