If one person refers to another as an infidel, the first person is hostile towards the second person because that person has a different religion or has no religion.
[literary, disapproval]
...a holy war, to drive the infidels and the non-believers out of this holy land.
Synonyms: unbeliever, sceptic, atheist, heretic More Synonyms of infidel
Infidel is also an adjective.
He promised to continue the fight against infidel forces.
infidel in British English
(ˈɪnfɪdəl)
noun
1.
a person who has no religious belief; unbeliever
adjective
2.
rejecting a specific religion, esp Christianity or Islam
3.
of, characteristic of, or relating to unbelievers or unbelief
Word origin
C15: from Medieval Latin infidēlis, from Latin (adj): unfaithful, from in-1 + fidēlis faithful; see feal
infidel in American English
(ˈɪnfəˌdɛl; ˈɪnfədəl)
noun
1.
a person who does not believe in a particular religion, esp. the prevailing religion
; specif.,
a.
among Christians, a non-Christian
b.
among Muslims, a non-Muslim
2.
a person who holds no religious belief
3.
a person who does not accept some particular theory, belief, etc.
adjective
4.
that is an infidel; unbelieving
5.
of infidels
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈatheˌist
Word origin
ME < MFr infidèle < L infidelis, unfaithful (in LL(Ec), unbelieving) < in-, in-2 + fidelis: see fidelity
Synonyms of 'infidel'
unbeliever, sceptic, atheist, heretic
More Synonyms of infidel
(noun)
Definition
a person who rejects a specific religion, esp. Christianity or Islam
They believed we were infidels and dirty, so they treated us badly.
Synonyms
unbeliever
They come as unbelievers and go away with a new faith in life.
sceptic
a lifelong religious sceptic
atheist
She is an ex-nun who is now an atheist.
heretic
agnostic
He was, if not an atheist, an agnostic.
heathen (old-fashioned)
the condescending air of missionaries seeking to convert the heathen
nonconformist
freethinker
nonbeliever
giaour (Turkish)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of agnostic
Definition
of or relating to agnostics
He was, if not an atheist, an agnostic.
Synonyms
sceptic,
cynic,
scoffer,
doubter,
disbeliever,
unbeliever,
doubting Thomas,
Pyrrhonist
in the sense of atheist
She is an ex-nun who is now an atheist.
Synonyms
nonbeliever,
pagan,
sceptic,
disbeliever,
heathen (old-fashioned),
infidel,
unbeliever,
freethinker,
irreligionist
in the sense of freethinker
Definition
a person who forms his or her ideas independently of authority, esp. in matters of religion