Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
- noun One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
- noun One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.
- adjective Relating to or being an agnostic.
- adjective Doubtful or noncommittal.
- adjective Computers Operable or functioning using any operating system or other digital technology. Often used in combination.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One of a class of thinkers who disclaim any knowledge of God or of the ultimate nature of things. They hold that human knowledge is limited to experience, and that since the absolute and unconditioned, if it exists at all, cannot fall within experience, we have no right to assert anything whatever with regard to it.
- Pertaining to the agnostics or their doctrines; expressing ignorance or unknow-ableness.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Professing ignorance; involving no dogmatic; pertaining to or involving agnosticism.
- noun One who professes ignorance, or denies that we have any knowledge, save of phenomena; one who supports agnosticism, neither affirming nor denying the existence of a personal Deity, a future life, etc.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A person who holds to a form of
agnosticism , especially uncertainty of the existence of adeity . - adjective Of or relating to
agnosticism or its adherents. - adjective
Doubtful oruncertain about the existence or demonstrability ofGod or otherdeity . - adjective computing A software
component (or other entity) that is unaware or noncommittal regarding the specific nature of the components with which it interacts;polymorphic ;modular ;pluggable - adjective Having no firmly held opinions on an issue or matter of uncertainty.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective uncertain of all claims to knowledge
- noun someone who is doubtful or noncommittal about something
- adjective of or pertaining to an agnostic or agnosticism
- noun a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It took Huxley a full two decades to respond to his friend's adjustment of his term agnostic, but when he did respond he tried to put Spencer right on at least one key point about the risks of mythologizing the unknowable, of turning it into a kind of negative Absolute.
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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It took Huxley a full two decades to respond to his friend's adjustment of his term agnostic, but when he did respond he tried to put Spencer right on at least one key point about the risks of mythologizing the unknowable, of turning it into a kind of negative Absolute.
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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To those who've forgotten that the man who coined the term agnostic was also Darwin's self-appointed "bulldog," fiercely defending his work and discovery against the jibes of a derisive, behind-the-times Church of England, it's worth remembering that Huxley in turn criticized Spencer for not only making agnosticism require a static, permanent doubt, but also for failing to underline some of the worst social consequences of religion.
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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Considering his substantial differences with Spencer, why didn't Huxley do more to intervene over what he saw as misuse of the term agnostic?
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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Considering his substantial differences with Spencer, why didn't Huxley do more to intervene over what he saw as misuse of the term agnostic?
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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To those who've forgotten that the man who coined the term agnostic was also Darwin's self-appointed "bulldog," fiercely defending his work and discovery against the jibes of a derisive, behind-the-times Church of England, it's worth remembering that Huxley in turn criticized Spencer for not only making agnosticism require a static, permanent doubt, but also for failing to underline some of the worst social consequences of religion.
Christopher Lane: Debates About Agnosticism Are As Old As The Concept Itself Christopher Lane 2011
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The term agnostic talks about the existence of God being unknown or unknowable.
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The term agnostic talks about the existence of God being unknown or unknowable.
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Instead, like many other agnostics at the time -- including Leslie Stephen, George Eliot, Herbert Spencer, Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley who coined the term agnostic three decades earlier, in 1869 -- he thought belief should rest on evidence, not faith, but also that evidence itself was in some key instances wanting.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Christopher Lane 2011
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I don't prefer the term agnostic because agnosticism is often used as a weak term that means I'm not sure if the guy with the beard on the cloud exists or doesn't exist.
abraxaszugzwang commented on the word agnostic
"The only thing I know is that I know nothing" - Socrates
January 23, 2007
mcritz commented on the word agnostic
Scored a bingo with scrabble.
September 26, 2008
ezzackly commented on the word agnostic
I've turned so many people on to this word. Many people who refer to themselves as atheist are not.
May 9, 2009
yarb commented on the word agnostic
I guess it evens out, ezzackly, 'cause y'see, I think many people who call themselves agnostic are actually atheists!
May 9, 2009
rolig commented on the word agnostic
I just don't know.
May 10, 2009