sceptical

adjective

SaySKEP-ti-kuhl/ˈskɛptɪkəl/

2 meanings of sceptical

1
doubtfuladjective
Not sure that something is true or right, or showing that you doubt it.
Mum was sceptical when I said I had tidied my room.
I'm sceptical about these pills that promise you'll lose weight fast.
UsageSay sceptical about something or sceptical of it.
Similardoubtful, dubious, unconvinced, suspicious, distrustful
Oppositeconvinced, trusting, credulous
2
philosophyadjective
To do with scepticism, a way of thinking in philosophy that doubts we can be sure of what we know.
The sceptical thinkers of ancient Greece asked how we can know anything at all.
Her essay explains the sceptical view that our senses can trick us.

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It comes from the word sceptic (Latin scepticus) with the ending -al.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

From Latin scepticus plus -al; the adjective is attested earlier than English sceptic. en.wiktionary.org