unbeliever

noun

un·​be·​liev·​er ˌən-bə-ˈlē-vər How to pronounce unbeliever (audio)
1
: one that does not believe in a particular religious faith
2
: one that does not believe : an incredulous person : doubter, skeptic

Examples of unbeliever in a Sentence

a hardheaded unbeliever who demanded to see concrete evidence of any alleged UFO activity
Recent Examples on the Web An app called Krishna, for example, has already advised killing unbelievers and supporting India's ruling party. Scott Shapiro, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024 To have reservations about something that is treated as sacrosanct is to be an unbeliever, or worse, a heretic, and thus someone to be cast out. Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023 As director of Number 10’s in-house think-tank, the Policy Unit, the unbeliever in question has hitherto been an obscure figure in Boris Johnson’s high command, albeit an important one. The Economist, 27 June 2020 For me, this person is always an unbeliever and the strain of making him see is considerable. Stephen Mirarchi, National Review, 28 Dec. 2019 The isolated world of Appalachian snake handlers is the setting for this drama about a pastor’s daughter who falls in love with an unbeliever. Cary Darling |, Houston Chronicle, 8 Aug. 2019 The philosophe wondered what was left to unbelievers in the way of ethical guidelines. Dan Hofstadter, WSJ, 15 Feb. 2019 Decree defeat, humiliation and unbelief to the unbelievers. Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018 Melnik was a mocker and an unbeliever, a lecher, a contrary creature. Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unbeliever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unbeliever was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near unbeliever

Cite this Entry

“Unbeliever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unbeliever. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unbeliever

noun
un·​be·​liev·​er ˌən-bə-ˈlē-vər How to pronounce unbeliever (audio)
1
: one who does not believe in a particular religious faith : infidel
2
: one who does not believe : doubter
unbelieving
-ˈlē-viŋ
adjective
unbelievingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on unbeliever

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!