Sceptical Meaning
/ˈskɛptəkəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjCommonwealth standard spelling of skeptical.
Sentence Examples
You're wrong. I'm not pessimistic, but sceptical.
I'm very sceptical about their claims.
She can't help but be sceptical of him.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist was ____ about the new theory because it lacked evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She remained ____ about the new treatment until she saw the clinical trial results.
Word Origin & History
By surface analysis, sceptic + -al.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"But regardless of what they made of phrenology, those who saw craniometry as a means of measuring the relative weight of intelligence and emotion in psychological makeup were generally sceptical as to whether, as Blumenbach and Camper believed, humanity had branched from one ancestral pair into varietal types as a result of colonising different continents."
— 2020 October 5, Paul Turnbull, “Thinking About Craniometry- The Racial Turn”, in Paul Turnbull:
"And according to Hughes, HM Treasury is still sceptical about rail electrification. "It's not because they don't see electrification as a good thing, but I think when you look at it from the UK-wide perspective, if you have £x billion to spend on decarbonisation, you don't necessarily start with rail. Rail's not where you get the biggest bang for the buck in terms of decarbonisation.""
— 2025 February 5, Peter Plisner, “East West Rail: progress from west to east”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 30:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The scientist was ____ about the new theory because it lacked evidence.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She remained ____ about the new treatment until she saw the clinical trial results.