agnostic
/æɡˈnɑstɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.02 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents.
adj
Unaware or noncommittal regarding the specific nature of the components or input with which it interacts.
noun
A person who holds to a form of agnosticism, especially uncertainty of the existence of a deity.
Example Sentences
- "She left the church when she had become agnostic."
- "I'm agnostic on whether ethanol is a green fuel."
- "He says he's agnostic concerning the Secretary's claims."
- "His agnostic viewpoint is summarized in his book."
- "In matters of the intellect do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the agnostic faith, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him."
- "The socket communications layer is agnostic with regard to its underlying transport mechanism—it is “transport-agnostic”."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γῐγνώσκω (gĭgnṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos)der. ▲ Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-)der. English a- Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃tisder. Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis) ▲ Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? ▲ Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τῐκός (-tĭkós) Ancient Greek γνωστῐκός (gnōstĭkós) English Gnostic English agnostic Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1870. Either from Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos, “ignorant, not knowing”), or from a- + Gnostic, deriving (either way) from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “I know”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ǵneh₃-, ἄγνωστος, ἀ-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /æɡˈnɑstɪk/
- British English: /aɡˈnɒstɪk/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Religion.