skeptical meaning
skeptical :
doubting, not convinced
adjective
▪ She is skeptical about the new plan.
▪ She doubts the new plan.
▪ He was skeptical of the story.
▪ He did not believe the story.
paraphrasing
▪ doubtful – not sure
▪ suspicious – not trusting
▪ unsure – not certain
▪ unconvinced – not persuaded
Pronunciation
skeptical [ˈskɛp.tɪ.kəl]
The stress is on 'skep' and sounds like 'skep-ti-kul'.
Common phrases and grammar about skeptical
skeptical - Common meaning
adjective
doubting, not convinced
Part of Speech Changes for "skeptical"
▪ skepticism (noun) – doubt or disbelief
▪ skeptically (adverb) – in a doubting way
Common Expressions with "skeptical"
▪ skeptical about – doubting something
▪ skeptical of – not convinced by something
▪ remain skeptical – continue to doubt
▪ highly skeptical – very doubtful
Important examples of skeptical in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, skeptical is often used to describe doubt about plans or ideas.
Example of a confusing word: certain (sure)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
As an adjective, skeptical is often used in TOEIC questions to describe a person's attitude or feelings.
skeptical
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
skeptical attitude
'doubting mindset', used to describe a way of thinking.
take something with a grain of salt
means 'to view something with skepticism'.
Differences between similar words and skeptical
skeptical
,
doubtful
differences
Skeptical means having a questioning attitude, while doubtful means feeling uncertain about something.
Words with the same origin as skeptical
The origin of skeptical
The word skeptical comes from the Greek 'skeptikos', meaning 'thoughtful or inquiring'.
Word structure
It has the root skept (to look or examine) and suffix ical (adjective), meaning 'related to examining'.
Words with the same origin
The root of skeptical is skept (to look or examine). Words with the same root include skeptic (a doubter).
