sceptic

Everyday

1. A sceptic is a person who doubts whether something is true and wants to see evidence before believing it. tree →
2. A sceptic may doubt a particular idea, like "a climate sceptic", or doubt religious beliefs. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, a healthy sceptic asks for evidence, tests claims and checks sources; online safety teaches pupils to be sceptical of fake news. In stories, the sceptic is the one who does not believe in ghosts until they see one. Phrases: "a bit of a sceptic", "remain a sceptic", "sceptical about".

Examples

• My dad is a sceptic about adverts that promise miracles. tree →
• Scientists should be sceptics until there is good evidence. tree →
• Tom was a sceptic about ghosts until he heard the noise in the attic. tree →
• Be sceptical of websites that don't say who wrote them. tree →
• Even the sceptics were impressed by the magician. tree →
• She remained a sceptic about the new diet. tree →

Note

British spelling: sceptic, sceptical; American spelling: skeptic, skeptical. Pronounced SKEP-tik (the c is hard, like k). Do not confuse with "septic" (infected with germs, as in a septic wound or septic tank), which sounds different.