United States this practice is reversed, a large and increasing majority of educated persons preferring
the orthography which is most in accordance with etymology and analogy.
Syn. — Infidel; unbeliever; doubter. — See Infidel.
Skeptic
(Skep"tic Skep"tic*al) a. [Written also sceptic, sceptical.]
1. Of or pertaining to a sceptic or skepticism; characterized by skepticism; hesitating to admit the certainly
of doctrines or principles; doubting of everything.
2. (Theol.) Doubting or denying the truth of revelation, or the sacred Scriptures.
The skeptical system subverts the whole foundation of morals.
R. Hall. — Skep"tac*al*ly, adv. — Skep"tic*al*ness, n.
Skepticism
(Skep"ti*cism) n. [Cf. F. scepticisme.] [Written also scepticism.]
1. An undecided, inquiring state of mind; doubt; uncertainty.
That momentary amazement, and irresolution, and confusion, which is the result of skepticism.
Hune. 2. (Metaph.) The doctrine that no fact or principle can be certainly known; the tenet that all knowledge
is uncertain; Pyrrohonism; universal doubt; the position that no fact or truth, however worthy of confidence,
can be established on philosophical grounds; critical investigation or inquiry, as opposed to the positive
assumption or assertion of certain principles.
3. (Theol.) A doubting of the truth of revelation, or a denial of the divine origin of the Christian religion,
or of the being, perfections, or truth of God.
Let no . . . secret skepticism lead any one to doubt whether this blessed prospect will be realized.
S.
Miller. Skepticize
(Skep"ti*cize) v. i. To doubt; to pretend to doubt of everything. [R.]
To skepticize, where no one else will . . . hesitate.
Shaftesbury. Skerry
(Sker"ry) n.; pl. Skerries [Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. sker, Sw. skär, Dan. skir. Cf. Scar a
bank.] A rocky isle; an insulated rock. [Scot.]
Sketch
(Sketch) n. [D. schets, fr. It. schizzo a sketch, a splash (whence also F. esquisse; cf. Esquisse.); cf.
It. schizzare to splash, to sketch.] An outline or general delineation of anything; a first rough or incomplete
draught or plan of any design; especially, in the fine arts, such a representation of an object or scene as
serves the artist's purpose by recording its chief features; also, a preliminary study for an original work.
Syn. — Outline; delineation; draught; plan; design. — Sketch, Outline, Delineation. An outline gives
only the bounding lines of some scene or picture. A sketch fills up the outline in part, giving broad
touches, by which an imperfect idea may be conveyed. A delineation goes further, carrying out the
more striking features of the picture, and going so much into detail as to furnish a clear conception of
the whole. Figuratively, we may speak of the outlines of a plan, of a work, of a project, etc., which serve
as a basis on which the subordinate parts are formed, or of sketches of countries, characters, manners,
etc., which give us a general idea of the things described. Crabb.
Sketch
(Sketch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sketched ; p. pr. & vb. n. Sketching.] [Cf D. schetsen, It. schizzare.
See Sketch, n.]
