Atheisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A belief system rejecting the existence of any deities or gods
2. A philosophical stance asserting that supernatural beings do not exist and that religion is unfounded
3. An ideology centered on the absence of belief in the divine or in religious doctrines

Etymology: The plural "atheisms" simply counts distinct systems or instances of atheism, which is a little unusual for a word that more often names a single stance. The noun it belongs to, "atheism," goes back to Ancient Greek "átheos," built from "a-," meaning "without," and "theós," meaning "god." Greek "átheos" meant "godless," and it could be an insult as much as a description. The word passed into Middle French as "athée" and then "athéisme" in the 16th century, and English first recorded "atheism" in 1587. For most of its early life in English it was a charge levelled at others rather than a label people chose for themselves, which is why its plural form is so rarely needed.

Synonyms: nonbelief, unbelief

Antonyms: theism, faith