nonbeliever

noun

non·​be·​liev·​er ˌnän-bə-ˈlē-vər How to pronounce nonbeliever (audio)
: a person who is not a believer
… a well-known nonbeliever in holiday sales or discounts …Seung Lee
a nonbeliever in ghosts
especially : atheist
… had grown up in the West and gone to college as a nonbeliever in the Bible Belt … Tim Keown

Examples of nonbeliever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Several of these involve a furtive religious cult known as the Scars — its adherents have a way of pussyfooting through the forest and doing absolutely horrible things to nonbelievers. Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025 The streets of Vatican City are both energized and oppressed with grief as faithful Catholics and nonbelievers consider the life and death, possibly soon, of Christ’s representative on earth. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025 To have a follower recount a feat of superhuman strength, or even an apparition, is hard for a layperson to fathom but has the advantage of having happened in the past and out of the view of nonbelievers. Michelle Weber, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2024 For the believers and nonbelievers, the Pentagon answered whether UFOs or aliens have ever visited Earth, saying there is no evidence. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 17 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for nonbeliever

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonbeliever was in 1649

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Cite this Entry

“Nonbeliever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonbeliever. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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