atheist

noun

(religion) A person who does not believe in deities or gods.

(strictly) A person who is certain that no deities exist or who thinks that the existence of deities can be disproven.

(loosely) A person who doubts the existence of deities (therefore, an agnostic may be considered an atheist).

(very broadly) Any person lacking belief in deities (including children who are unaware of religion).

(uncommon) A person who does not believe in a particular deity (but may believe in another deity).

(sometimes proscribed) A person who does not believe in any religion (not even a religion without gods); a nonreligious person.

verb

(transitive, very rare) To make someone an atheist.

adjective

Of or relating to atheists or atheism; atheistic.

Roots

theos-the · Greek · god

Synonyms for atheist

nonbelievern nullifidian disbelieverv unbeliever infideln secularistn paganadj heathenadj apostaten

Synonyms & related words for atheist

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of atheist — including nonbeliever, nullifidian, disbeliever, unbeliever, infidel, secularist. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to atheist

Explore words related to atheist — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include atheistic, atheistical, atheistically, atheism, theist, nontheistic, theistical, theistic. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for atheist

Common synonyms for atheist include nonbeliever, nullifidian, disbeliever, unbeliever, infidel, secularist, pagan, heathen — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does atheist come from?

The word atheist breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root -the, from Greek theos (“god”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.