An atheist is a person who believes that there is no God. Compare agnostic.
Synonyms: nonbeliever, pagan, sceptic, disbeliever More Synonyms of atheist
atheist in British English
(ˈeɪθɪˌɪst)
noun
1.
a person who does not believe in God or gods
adjective
2.
of or relating to atheists or atheism
Derived forms
atheistic (ˌatheˈistic) or atheistical (ˌatheˈistical)
adjective
atheistically (ˌatheˈistically)
adverb
atheist in American English
(ˈeɪθiˌɪst)
noun
a person who believes that there is no God
SYNONYMY NOTE: an atheist rejects all religious belief and denies the existence of God; an , agnostic questions the existence of God, heaven, etc. in the absence of material proof andin unwillingness to accept supernatural revelation; , deist, a historical term, was applied to 18th-cent. rationalists who believed in God asa creative, moving force but who otherwise rejected formal religion and its doctrinesof revelation, divine authority, etc.; , freethinker, the current parallel term, similarly implies rejection of the tenets and traditionsof formal religion as incompatible with reason; , unbeliever is a more negative term, simply designating, without further qualification, one whodoes not accept any religious belief; , infidel is applied to a person not believing in a certain religion or the prevailing religion
OPPOSITE: theist
Word origin
MFr athéiste: see atheism
Examples of 'atheist' in a sentence
atheist
Or that one in three adults is either atheist or agnostic.
The Sun (2012)
But you're the most famous atheist in the country.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
They finally realized the craziness of the idea that you have to be either atheist or agnostic to be open-minded.
Christianity Today (2000)
For many of us who have other religious, agnostic or atheist beliefs, access is denied.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In that case, from the agnostic or atheist point of view, religion now does matter in a way that until recently it had ceased to.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
atheist
British English: atheist /ˈeɪθɪˌɪst/ NOUN
An atheist is a person who believes that there is no God.
American English: atheist
Arabic: مُلْحِد
Brazilian Portuguese: ateu
Chinese: 无神论者
Croatian: ateist
Czech: ateista
Danish: ateist
Dutch: atheïst
European Spanish: ateo
Finnish: ateisti
French: athée
German: Atheist
Greek: άθεος
Italian: ateo
Japanese: 無神論者
Korean: 무신론자
Norwegian: ateist
Polish: ateista
European Portuguese: ateu
Romanian: ateu
Russian: атеист
Latin American Spanish: ateo
Swedish: ateist
Thai: ผู้เชื่อว่าพระเจ้าไม่มีจริง
Turkish: tanrı tanımaz
Ukrainian: атеїст
Vietnamese: người vô thần
Chinese translation of 'atheist'
atheist
(ˈeɪθɪɪst)
n(c)
无(無)神论(論)者 (wúshénlùnzhě) (名, míng)
(noun)
She is an ex-nun who is now an atheist.
Synonyms
nonbeliever
pagan
He has been a practising pagan for years.
sceptic
a lifelong religious sceptic
disbeliever
their attempts to convert disbelievers to their faith
heathen (old-fashioned)
the condescending air of missionaries seeking to convert the heathen
infidel
They believed we were infidels and dirty, so they treated us badly.
unbeliever
They come as unbelievers and go away with a new faith in life.
freethinker
irreligionist
Additional synonyms
in the sense of disbeliever
their attempts to convert disbelievers to their faith
Synonyms
sceptic,
scoffer,
doubter,
atheist,
questioner,
agnostic,
doubting Thomas
in the sense of freethinker
Definition
a person who forms his or her ideas independently of authority, esp. in matters of religion
Synonyms
unbeliever,
sceptic,
doubter,
agnostic,
infidel,
deist
in the sense of heathen
Definition
a person who does not believe in an established religion
the condescending air of missionaries seeking to convert the heathen