atheist

Definitions

a- (without, the Greek alpha privative) + theos (god) + -ist (one who) = "one without god." The prefix doesn't change the topic, it cancels it: theos stays at the center while a- deletes belief in it. The same a- negates amoral, atypical, and asymmetric.

Common Collocations

• 1.a committed atheist坚定的无神论者
• 2.lifelong atheist终生的无神论者
• 3.atheist views无神论观点
• 4.self-described atheist自称的无神论者

Example Sentences

• 1.

  As an atheist, he doesn't take part in any religious services.

• 2.

  She was raised religious but became an atheist in college.

• 3.

  The book defends atheist views on the origin of the universe.

Easily Confused

atheist vs agnostic — An atheist actively believes no god exists. An agnostic makes no such claim — they hold that whether a god exists is unknown or unknowable. Quick test: "There is no god" → atheist; "We can't know" → agnostic.