skeptical

skeptical — adjective

1. feeling or showing doubt about whether something is true, real, or likely to be

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

feeling or showing doubt about whether something is true, real, or likely to be successful.

Example

Jason is skeptical about the mayor's promise to lower taxes within a year.

skeptical about + noun phrase

Tamar gave her manager a skeptical look when he claimed the project would finish early.

skeptical look — attributive use

Common collocations
  • deeply skeptical
  • highly skeptical
  • increasingly skeptical
  • remain skeptical
  • skeptical about
  • skeptical of
  • skeptical that
  • skeptical look
  • skeptical tone
Synonyms
  • doubtful

    more informal and can apply to personal uncertainty; 'I'm doubtful I can finish' focuses on ability, not truth

  • dubious

    slightly stronger and often implies suspicion about honesty or quality; 'dubious business practices'

  • unconvinced

    focuses on the result of a persuasion attempt rather than a general attitude

  • questioning

    more active and open-ended; implies a desire to investigate rather than just doubt

Antonyms
  • convinced

    the opposite state — having reached a firm belief

  • trusting

    describes a general disposition rather than a specific belief; 'a trusting person' vs 'a skeptical person'

  • certain

    stronger opposite; implies no doubt at all

Grammar Patterns

be skeptical about + noun phrase

be skeptical of + noun phrase

be skeptical (that) + clause

Usage Note

Commonly followed by about, of, or a that-clause. The tone is questioning rather than hostile — it describes a reasoned lack of conviction, not an automatic rejection.

Common Mistakes

I am cynical about his explanation for being late.
I am skeptical about his explanation for being late.
'cynical' assumes bad intentions; 'skeptical' means you simply doubt the truth of the claim.

Word family

  • skeptic
    nounB2
  • skepticism
    nounB2
  • skeptically
    adverbB2
  • skepticalness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Skeptical, doubtful, dubious, and cynical all express uncertainty, but they differ in tone and scope. Skeptical is the most neutral — it describes a reasoned, open-minded need for evidence before believing ('I'm skeptical about the claim — show me the data'). Doubtful leans toward personal uncertainty and is often used in everyday contexts ('I'm doubtful I'll finish on time'). Dubious adds a hint of suspicion about trustworthiness ('His explanation sounded dubious'). Cynical is the strongest: it assumes people are always selfishly motivated, so it goes beyond doubt into negative expectation ('She's so cynical she thinks every compliment is manipulation'). Use skeptical when you want to express doubt without implying bad faith.

skeptical ↗doubtful ↗dubious ↗cynical ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • remain skeptical
  • grow skeptical
  • become skeptical
  • view with skepticism

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Skeptical comes from the Greek word skeptikos, meaning 'thoughtful' or 'inclined to examine or inquire.' It entered English through Latin and French in the 1600s, originally referring to followers of the ancient Greek philosopher Pyrrho, who taught that true knowledge is impossible and that we should suspend judgment. Over time the word softened from a philosophical label to its modern meaning of 'having doubts about a claim.'