Dictionary

agnostically en · ADV

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γῐγνώσκω (gĭgnṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos)der. ▲ Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-)der. English a- Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃tisder. Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis) ▲ Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? ▲ Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τῐκός (-tĭkós) Ancient Greek γνωστῐκός (gnōstĭkós) English Gnostic English agnostic Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly Middle English -ally English -ally English agnostically From agnostic + -ally.

Meanings

1. In an agnostic manner; not having or expressing a firm opinion on something.
   • An unambiguous finding from […] the study was the very significant difference between younger and older children in their […] beliefs about Santa Claus and birthday wishes coming true. Younger children, on the whole believed, and older children emphatically disbelieved (with third graders agnostically in between). 1997, Máire Messenger Davies, chapter 5, in Fake, Fact and Fantasy: Children’s Interpretations of Television Reality, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, page 61:
   • “Well,” said the poet tartly, “do people still think me too romantic? Are there, I wonder, any brigands left in the mountains?” “There may be,” said Father Brown agnostically. 1914, G. K. Chesterton, “The Paradise of Thieves”, in The Wisdom of Father Brown,, London: Cassell, page 45:
   • […] he writes agnostically of the biographical information regarding Shakespeare. 1922, Sidney Lee, chapter 6, in The Year’s Work in English Studies, volume 2, Oxford University Press, page 77:
2. Toward, or from the perspective of, agnosticism.
   • What you call “God” they refer to agnostically as “the universe.”
   • […] the number of people who either dogmatically don’t believe in, or else agnostically or uncaringly, simply don’t bother about immortality is now considerable. 1931, Aldous Huxley, “Squeak and Gibber”, in Music at Night and Other Essays, London: Chatto & Windus:
   • ‘[…] all those who believe in God raise your hands. […]’ […] Taliesin is pleased to see his friend’s hand hover agnostically for a time and then commit. 2002, Rhidian Brook, chapter 3, in The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, New York: Penguin, page 23:
   • […] we are asked, on philosophical and critical grounds, to treat these not as sure and most vital truths, but agnostically, that is to say, to let them alone and not attempt to settle them. 1878, A. Macleod Symington, “Agnosticism and Dogmatism, from a Puritan Point of view”, in The British and Foreign Evangelical Review, volume 27, page 39:
   • She is agnostically inclined, despite her strict religious upbringing.

Forms

Coordinates

atheistically · religiously

Synonyms

uncertainly · doubtfully · tentatively

Translations (3)

pl agnostycznie (in an agnostic manner) · pt agnosticamente (in an agnostic manner) · fi agnostisesti (in an agnostic manner)