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A skeptic is a person who does not take a claim at face value. They want reasons, a test, or a second look before they say yes.
A skeptic懷疑者 is是 a person who does not take a claim at face value不會把一個說法照單全收的人。before they say yes在點頭同意之前，they他們 want reasons, a test, or a second look會想要理由、想要驗證，或再確認一次。
You will meet the word around news, medicine ads, big promises, and science class: someone can be a skeptic about a diet, a , or a “trust me” story. People who write about tricks and false claims sometimes wear it as a label for themselves.
around news, medicine ads, big promises, and science class在新聞、醫藥廣告、誇大的承諾，還有科學課裡 you你 will meet the word會遇到這個字：someone有人 can be a skeptic可以是懷疑者 about a diet, a gadget, or a 'trust me' story針對某種飲食法、某個小工具，或一句「相信我」式的話。People who write about tricks and false claims專門在寫騙術和假消息的人 sometimes有時候 wear it as a label for themselves也會把這個詞用在自己身上當標籤。
In older, more English, the Skeptics were a group of who said we cannot be sure we know the truth; that meaning still lives in philosophy class, but it is not what most people mean at dinner.
In older, more bookish English在比較古老、書卷氣的英文裡, the Skeptics懷疑論者 were a group of thinkers who said we cannot be sure we know the truth是一群主張『我們無法確定自己知道真理』的思想家；that meaning這個意思 still lives in philosophy class在哲學課裡還在用, but但 it is not what most people mean at dinner一般人吃飯聊天時說的不是這個意思。
This spelling with k is the American one. British English . Same word, said the same way, with a hard sk- at the front, never like septic.
This spelling with k這個用k的拼法 is是 the American one美式的。British English英式英文 writes寫作 sceptic sceptic。Same word是同一個字, said the same way念法一樣, with a hard sk- at the front前面是硬音的sk-, never like septic絕對不會念成像septic那樣。
Calling someone a skeptic is not an insult by itself, though the person you doubt may not enjoy it. Though actually, English speakers do not always agree how far a skeptic has already made up their mind.
Calling someone a skeptic叫某人懷疑者 is not an insult by itself本身並不是侮辱, though雖然 the person you doubt被你懷疑的人 may not enjoy it可能不會喜歡。Though actually不過其實, English speakers英語使用者 do not always agree對...看法並不一致 how far a skeptic has already made up their mind一個懷疑者心裡到底已經有多篤定。
Said softly, it means careful. Said hard, it can mean they will not be persuaded.
Said softly語氣輕一點說, it means careful意思是謹慎。Said hard語氣重一點說, it can mean they will not be persuaded可能表示這個人怎麼樣都不會被說服。
組成English borrowed it from Middle French sceptique, or perhaps straight from Late Latin scepticus, first used of the Skeptics. That Latin word goes back to an old Italic form meaning “seeing, watching,” from a root *speḱ- “to see,” so the old idea is someone who looks hard instead of taking a thing on trust. There is a Greek cousin, skopéō “to view, examine.” The American k spelling matches the hard c sound; British sceptic keeps the older c.
同家族的字
- scepticthe British spelling of the same word
- skepticalthe adjective: the doubting feeling or look
- skepticismthe noun for the attitude, or the school of thought
原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
skepticnoun/ˈskɛp.tɪk/
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Someone who doubts beliefs, claims, plans, etc. that are accepted by others as true or appropriate, especially one who habitually does so.
- But for the fly he might have made me think He had been at his poetry , comparing Nailhead with fly and fly with huckleberry : How like a fly , how very like a fly . But the real fly he missed would never do ; The missed fly made me dangerously skeptic.[…]
- The official account of this meeting was that it ended in failure, with the Taliban's mullah Omar telling General Ahmed, “Osama will be the last person to leave Afghanistan.” The 9/11 skeptics believe that meeting was meant to fail.
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Someone who is skeptical towards religion.
skepticadj/ˈskɛp.tɪk/
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Skeptical.
- This view of the Great Pyramid is being adopted by a widening circle of Christian believers, until even a skeptic scientist has dignified it as “the religion of the Pyramid!”
- No one but you can convince my heart, the stubborn, skeptic heart of mine to break the bad habit of breaking away.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。