scepticism
part of speech
noun (scepticism; uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) Doubt about whether something is true or will work. tree →
2) The habit of not believing things until there is good evidence. tree →
3) (philosophy) The idea that we cannot be sure of some or any knowledge. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and media lessons healthy scepticism means checking facts and asking «how do we know?» before believing a claim, an advert or something online. In stories a sceptical character doubts magic or ghosts. Phrases: «healthy scepticism», «treated with scepticism», «scepticism about».
examples
- The claim was met with scepticism. tree →
- A good scientist uses scepticism and checks the evidence. tree →
- She viewed the advert with scepticism. tree →
- Healthy scepticism helps you spot fake news. tree →
- His scepticism about ghosts disappeared when the door creaked. tree →
- Philosophers argue about scepticism and what we can really know. tree →
note
UK spelling: scepticism; US spelling: skepticism. Pronounced «SKEP-ti-sizm» (the «c» sounds like «k»). Adjective: «sceptical» / «skeptical». Scepticism is not the same as refusing all evidence.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «scepticism» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.