Unbeliving

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Refusing to accept something as true or lacking conviction in what is presented
2. Characterized by skepticism or the absence of belief in something claimed or offered
3. Showing disbelief or unwillingness to credit what is stated or proposed

Etymology: The word you sent is a misspelling of "unbelieving," which is missing an "e" in "believing." The correct form combines "un-," a negating prefix, with "believing," the present participle of "believe." English has used the root "believe" since Old English, when it was "belyfan," built from "be-" and "lyfan," meaning "to hold dear" or "to esteem." The sense of "accept as true" came later. Its original meaning of holding something dear survives in the older word "lief," so "believe" and "lief" share a root. The negated form grew up in religious contexts. Its earliest sense was "without faith," describing people who did not hold the Christian creed, and this theological meaning shaped how English speakers used the word for centuries. Only later did it come to mean simply "skeptical" or "not convinced." Dates for the earliest recorded uses are approximate, and I am not certain of the exact century of entry.