agnostic

[ ag-nos-tik ]
/ ægˈnɒs tɪk /

noun

a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.
a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge in some area of study.
a person who holds neither of two opposing positions on a topic: Socrates was an agnostic on the subject of immortality.

adjective

Origin of agnostic

< Greek ágnōst(os), variant of ágnōtos not known, incapable of being known ( a- a-6 + gnōtós known, adj. derivative from base of gignṓskein to know) + -ic, after gnostic; coined by T.H. Huxley in 1869

synonym study for agnostic

Agnostic, atheist, infidel, skeptic refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. Infidel means an unbeliever, especially a nonbeliever in Islam or Christianity. A skeptic doubts and is critical of all accepted doctrines and creeds.

historical usage of agnostic

The word agnostic was coined by the English biologist T.H. Huxley in the late 1860s as a member of the now defunct Metaphysical Society, in response to what he perceived as an abundance there of strongly held beliefs. The original usage of the term was confined to philosophy and religion, and referred to Huxley's assertion that anything beyond the material world, including the existence and nature of God, was unknowable. Today the word can be seen applied to questions of politics, culture, and science, as when someone claims to be a “political agnostic.”
In a more recent trend, one can be agnostic simply by not taking a stand on something. In 2010, President Obama called himself “agnostic” on tax cuts until he had seen all available options. At a forum on sustainable energy in 2008, GE CEO Jeff Immelt said he was “fuel agnostic fundamentally.” In technology, software or hardware can be said to be agnostic as well. Computer code that can run on any operating system is called “platform agnostic,” and such services as phone and electric may be considered “agnostic” if not dedicated to a particular carrier, device, or user interface.

popular references for agnostic


—Agnostic Front: A New York punk band, considered at the forefront of the New York hardcore music scene. Founded in 1983, in existence for over 25 years.

OTHER WORDS FROM agnostic

ag·nos·ti·cal·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH agnostic

agnostic atheist (see synonym study at the current entry)

Quotations related to agnostic

  • "It [agnostic] came into my head as suggestively antithetic to the ‘gnostic’ of Church history who professed to know so much."
    -T. H. Huxley Agnosticism Collected Essays, Volume V; Science and Christian Tradition: Essays (1894)
  • "In theory he [Prof. Huxley] is a great and even severe Agnostic,–who goes about exhorting all men to know how little they know."
    -R. H. Hutton Spectator (January 29, 1870)
  • "Militant Agnostic: I don't know, and you don't either"
    -Bumper sticker Northern Sun (Accessed 2010)
  • "Melville is a political agnostic in Billy Budd—he ‘doesn't know’ with finality—not because he is indifferent, but because he sees too much."
    -Robert Midler Exiled Royalties: Melville and the Life We Imagine (2006)
  • "The whole point of it is to make sure that all ideas are on the table…So what I want to do is to be completely agnostic, in terms of solutions."
    -President Barack Obama by Rich Miller Obama ‘Agnostic’ on Deficit Cuts, Won't Prejudge Tax Increases Bloomberg Businessweek (Feb. 11, 2010)
  • "Our view has always been technology agnostic."
    -Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila by James Aley and Ann Harrington Heads We Win, Tails We Win As cellphones continue their takeover of the world, one company is certain to succeed: Here's how Qualcomm does it. Fortune Magazine (March 3, 2003)

Words nearby agnostic

agnoiology, agnolotti, agnomen, agnon, agnosia, agnostic, agnosticism, agnus dei, ago, agog, agogic

Example sentences from the Web for agnostically

  • "He has been so unusually amiable," agnostically said Justine.

    A Fascinating Traitor |Richard Henry Savage

British Dictionary definitions for agnostically

agnostic
/ (æɡˈnɒstɪk) /

noun

a person who holds that knowledge of a Supreme Being, ultimate cause, etc, is impossible Compare atheist, theist
a person who claims, with respect to any particular question, that the answer cannot be known with certainty

adjective

of or relating to agnostics

Derived forms of agnostic

agnosticism, noun

Word Origin for agnostic

C19: coined 1869 by T. H. Huxley from a- 1 + gnostic