skeptical
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skeptical
Doubtful or mistrustful toward a claim, a person, or a situation. You are not easily convinced and question things critically.
Ich bin skeptisch, ob dieser Plan wirklich funktionieren wird.
I am skeptical about whether this plan will really work.
When you want to express who or what someone is skeptical toward, you use the preposition 'gegenüber' with the dative. This construction is very common.
Der Professor war gegenüber den Ergebnissen der Studie skeptisch.
The professor was skeptical toward the results of the study.
'Skeptisch sein' (to be skeptical) is often followed by a subordinate clause introduced by 'ob' (whether). This clause expresses the doubt or question one has.
Die Anleger sind skeptisch, ob die Firma ihre Ziele erreichen kann.
The investors are skeptical about whether the company can reach its goals.
'Skeptisch' (skeptical) is often combined with the verbs 'sein' (to be), 'bleiben' (to remain), or 'werden' (to become). It can also be used as an adverb to describe an action, for example 'jemanden skeptisch ansehen' (to look at someone skeptically).
Trotz der positiven Nachrichten blieb sie skeptisch.
Despite the positive news, she remained skeptical.
critical
With an unverified claim, kritisch and skeptisch can both express an examining attitude. Skeptisch mainly emphasizes doubt and a lack of trust, whereas kritisch focuses more strongly on objections or an evaluative examination. Choose skeptisch when you do not want to believe something too readily, and kritisch when you are assessing it.
Die Journalistin blieb gegenüber der ungeprüften Behauptung skeptisch und glaubte sie nicht sofort.
The journalist remained skeptical of the unverified claim and did not believe it right away.
Die Journalistin prüfte die ungeprüfte Behauptung kritisch und nannte mehrere Widersprüche.
The journalist examined the unverified claim critically and pointed out several contradictions.
