Meaning & use
atheism
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Meanings
noununcountablereligion
The position that there is no god, or the lack of belief in any god or gods.
Grammar: Uncountable: atheism is growing in some countries; a person who holds it is an atheist.
Patterns
- atheism and religion
- a defense of atheism
His atheism did not stop him from visiting churches for their architecture.
The professor gave a lecture on the history of atheism in Europe.
Atheism and agnosticism are often confused, but they are different positions.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A particular movement or philosophy built on the denial of gods.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, with a modifier when it names a school of thought: militant atheism, humanist atheism.
Patterns
- state atheism
- new atheism
The essay compares humanist atheism with religious humanism.
Some governments in the last century promoted state atheism.
The book is a classic of nineteenth-century atheism.
Common combinations
- embrace atheism
- After years of doubt, she decided to embrace atheism.
- militant atheism
- Critics accused the writer of militant atheism.
- state atheism
- The country promoted state atheism for decades.
- atheism and agnosticism
- The class discussed atheism and agnosticism.
- profess atheism
- He publicly professed atheism at a time when it was risky.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonbelief
- Nonbelief is a broader and softer word that can describe any lack of faith, while atheism names the particular position that no gods exist.
- godlessness
- Godlessness is usually critical and sounds like an accusation, whereas atheism is a neutral description.
- unbelief
- Unbelief can mean doubt about a specific religion or teaching, while atheism concerns belief in any god at all.
Opposites
Word family
- atheist noun
- a person who does not believe in any god
- atheistic adjective
- based on or showing atheism
- atheistical adjective
- a more old-fashioned form of atheistic
- theism noun
- belief in the existence of a god or gods
Commonly confused: atheism or agnosticism? atheism or theism?
atheism vs agnosticism
Agnosticism holds that we cannot know whether a god exists, while atheism says there is none.
atheism vs theism
Theism is belief in a god, so it is the opposite of atheism despite the similar spelling.
Practice
A person who says 'I do not believe any god exists' is expressing _____.
Choose one answer.
Atheism is the view that no gods exist. Agnosticism is tempting but it claims we cannot know, while theism and polytheism affirm belief in one god or many.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “atheism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.