skepticism
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skepticism
An attitude of doubt or mistrust toward claims, people, or situations.
Trotz der positiven Berichte blieb eine gewisse Skepsis gegenüber dem neuen Produkt.
Despite the positive reports, a certain skepticism toward the new product remained.
skepticism
A philosophical school of thought (skepticism) that fundamentally questions the possibility of certain knowledge.
Die antike Skepsis argumentierte, dass man sich eines Urteils enthalten sollte.
Ancient skepticism argued that one should suspend judgment.
'Die Skepsis' (skepticism) is the noun corresponding to the adjective 'skeptisch' (skeptical). If a person is 'skeptisch' (skeptical), then they feel or show 'Skepsis' (skepticism).
Er ist von Natur aus skeptisch und glaubt nicht alles sofort.
He is skeptical by nature and doesn't believe everything immediately.
To express what the doubt refers to, 'Skepsis' (skepticism) is very often used with the preposition 'gegenüber' (toward) and the dative.
Die Bevölkerung zeigte große Skepsis gegenüber den Plänen der Regierung.
The population showed great skepticism toward the government's plans.
Common verbs used with 'Skepsis' (skepticism) are 'Skepsis äußern' (to express skepticism), 'Skepsis zeigen' (to show skepticism), or 'auf Skepsis stoßen' (to meet with skepticism).
Der Vorschlag stieß im Team zunächst auf große Skepsis.
The proposal initially met with great skepticism in the team.
As an abstract noun, 'Skepsis' (skepticism) is used almost exclusively in the singular. A plural form ('die Skepsen') does exist, but it is extremely rare in normal usage.
Eine gesunde Portion Skepsis ist bei solchen Angeboten immer ratsam.
A healthy dose of skepticism is always advisable with offers like these.
doubt
Both Zweifel and Skepsis can express critical uncertainty about a claim. Zweifel tends to refer to specific uncertainty about a particular statement, whereas Skepsis signals a fundamentally critical attitude toward such statements or their sources. Use Zweifel for the individual objection and Skepsis for the underlying attitude.
Wegen seiner Skepsis gegenüber schnellen Versprechen prüft er jede Berechnung genau.
Because he is skeptical of quick promises, he checks every calculation carefully.
Nach diesem Fehler hatte ich Zweifel an der Richtigkeit seiner Berechnung.
After this mistake, I had doubts about the accuracy of his calculation.
