Nullifidians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who reject or lack belief in religious faith or doctrines ; persons characterized by skepticism or disbelief toward spiritual matters ; those displaying doubt or denial of religious principles
2. People who do not accept or adhere to established religious beliefs ; skeptics who question or dismiss spiritual traditions ; those who show unbelief or cynicism regarding faith
3. Followers of a viewpoint marked by refusal to accept religious doctrines ; individuals exhibiting profound doubt about the truth of spiritual claims ; persons identified by their non-acceptance of faith-based ideas

Etymology: "Nullifidian" is a learned coinage built from Latin pieces: "nulli-", from Latin "nullus" meaning "not any", plus "fidēs", meaning "belief" or "faith", plus the English suffix "-ian", which marks someone belonging to or relating to something. Its shape comes from the same roots as "infidel", and the Late Latin word "nullifidius" already meant "infidel" in a similar sense, so the English term was assembled from a classical pattern rather than inherited from an older tongue. The first element goes back a long way. "Nullus" traces to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "one" or "single", so the idea of "not even one" is built into the word from the start. "Fidēs" comes from a root meaning "to trust" or "to convince", which means faith was originally a matter of trust in another person before it became a matter of creed. The result is a plural noun with a plainly constructed meaning: people who hold no faith at all, and who dismiss religious tradition or greet it with cynicism.

Synonyms: skeptics, nonbelievers, agnostics, doubters, atheists

Antonyms: believers, faithful, theists, devotees, followers