agnostic
What does "agnostic" mean?
An agnostic is someone who believes that the existence of a god or the divine is unknown and perhaps unknowable. It comes from the Greek "a-" (without) and "gnosis" (knowledge), representing a position of intellectual humility where one admits that human reason cannot definitively prove or disprove supernatural claims. The word is often used to distinguish a lack of certainty from a definitive denial of God (atheism). In modern, non-religious contexts, it is also frequently used metaphorically to mean being neutral or non-committed, such as "platform-agnostic," meaning software that works across all operating systems without preference.
"agnostic" in conversation
Discussing beliefs with a friend
Are you religious, or do you identify as an atheist?
Are you religious, or do you identify as an atheist?
I’m actually agnostic; I don’t think we have enough information to know for sure.
I’m actually agnostic; I don’t think we have enough information to know for sure.
Useful for clarifying that you are neither claiming existence nor non-existence.
Talking about tech tools
Does this app work on both Android and iPhone?
Does this app work on both Android and iPhone?
Yes, it's device-agnostic, so it runs perfectly on anything.
Yes, it's device-agnostic, so it runs perfectly on anything.
Common professional slang where '-agnostic' means 'compatible with everything'.
"agnostic" in a sentence
She describes herself as agnostic because she prefers to keep an open mind.
She describes herself as agnostic because she prefers to keep an open mind.
The committee remained agnostic on the issue until further evidence was presented.
The committee remained agnostic on the issue until further evidence was presented.
We need to develop a cloud-agnostic strategy to avoid being locked into a single service provider.
We need to develop a cloud-agnostic strategy to avoid being locked into a single service provider.
