skeptical

adjective

skep·​ti·​cal ˈskep-ti-kəl How to pronounce skeptical (audio)
Synonyms of skeptical
: relating to, characteristic of, or marked by skepticism
a skeptical listener
skeptically
ˈskep-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce skeptical (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of skeptical

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of skeptical in a Sentence

She's highly skeptical of the researchers' claims. He says he can win, but I remain skeptical. When I said I'd finished my homework early, Mom looked skeptical.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While some neighbors are skeptical the smell will ever completely disappear, Shrikhande remains optimistic that a solution can be found. — Da Lin, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Congressional staffers working on health legislation have also grown skeptical of the sector giants, according to three aides, on both sides of the aisle. — Daniel Payne, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026 The market was skeptical that Airbnb's growth runway matched its peers. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 The team worked to craft an agreement more appealing to the skeptical council while weighing options with no city involvement at all. — Nicolas Villamil, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for skeptical

Word History

First Known Use

1639, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skeptical was in 1639

Rhymes for skeptical

See All Rhymes for skeptical

Browse Nearby Words

skeptic
skeptical
skepticism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skeptical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skeptical. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

skeptical

adjective
skep·​ti·​cal ˈskep-ti-kəl How to pronounce skeptical (audio)
: relating to or marked by doubt
skeptically
-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce skeptical (audio)
adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All