agnostic
Definitions
A person who believes that the existence of God cannot be known or proven.
不可知论者
Holding that something (especially God's existence) cannot be known.
不可知论的
Having no preference for or commitment to a particular thing (often in technology).
不偏向的；不绑定的（尤用于科技）
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveda- (not, without) + gnost (know) + -ic = 'not knowing / not knowable.' An agnostic holds that whether God exists simply cannot be known — they don't claim to know either way. The 'a-' here is the Greek negative (as in atypical, amoral), not the Latin ad-.
Root gnost still carries 11 more wordsWhy It Means This
Coined in 1869 by biologist T.H. Huxley, who wanted a word for his own position: not denying God like an atheist, but holding that the question is simply unknowable. Note the difference — an atheist says 'there is no God'; an agnostic says 'we cannot know.' In modern tech and business, the word has drifted to mean 'neutral, not tied to any one option': a platform-agnostic tool commits to nothing and so works everywhere.
Common Collocations
- 1.religious agnostic宗教上的不可知论者
- 2.agnostic about对……不置可否
- 3.platform-agnostic不挑平台的
- 4.remain agnostic保持中立
Example Sentences
- 1.
He was raised religious but became an agnostic as an adult.
- 2.
She takes an agnostic view on whether the diet really works.
- 3.
The software is platform-agnostic and runs on any system.
Easily Confused
agnostic vs atheist — An atheist denies that God exists ('there is no God'); an agnostic withholds judgment, saying the answer cannot be known ('we can't be sure'). Atheist = a firm 'no'; agnostic = an open 'can't tell.'