atheist

atheist [ā′thēist΄]

n.

[MFr athéiste: see ATHEISM]

a person who believes that there is no God

SYN.- an ATHEIST rejects all religious belief and denies the existence of God; an AGNOSTIC questions the existence of God, heaven, etc. in the absence of material proof and in unwillingness to accept supernatural revelation; DEIST, a historical term, was applied to 18th-cent. rationalists who believed in God as a creative, moving force but who otherwise rejected formal religion and its doctrines of revelation, divine authority, etc.; FREETHINKER, the current parallel term, similarly implies rejection of the tenets and traditions of formal religion as incompatible with reason; UNBELIEVER is a more negative term, simply designating, without further qualification, one who does not accept any religious belief; INFIDEL is applied to a person not believing in a certain religion or the prevailing religion

-ANT. THEIST