Atheism is the belief that there is no deity or gods. It is a stance on belief about existence of gods, typically contrasted with theism and various religious positions. The term originated to label skeptics and nonbelievers, often used in academic, philosophical, and cultural discussions.
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US: rhoticity standard, clear /æθ/ onset, stress on first syllable; UK: slightly tenser /æ/ and a lighter final /əm/, possible vowel reduction; AU: more relaxed vowel transitions, sometimes a slightly quicker second syllable; IPA references help you lock the exact vowels and consonants in each variant.
"Her lecture focused on atheism and the history of secular thought."
"She identifies as an atheist and supports scientific skepticism."
"The debate covered atheism, ethics, and the existence of divine beings."
"Media coverage of atheism can influence public perceptions of religion."
The word atheism comes from the Greek a-, a privative prefix meaning 'without' and the stem theos meaning 'god.' The term surfaced in classical Athens in dialogues where philosophers confronted religious belief and superstition. In Latin, atheismus and in Ancient Greek a-theos were used to denote lacking belief in gods. In the 16th–18th centuries, as secular thought gained traction during the Renaissance and Enlightenment, atheism separated into general disbelief and active rejection of religious doctrine. By the 19th and 20th centuries, the term broadened to denote a worldview or philosophical position that lacks belief in deities, sometimes aligning with secular humanism or scientific naturalism. First known uses appear in proto-philosophical writings and medieval theological critiques that described those who denied divine beings. The modern usage emphasizes the lack of belief rather than a positive assertion about the nonexistence of all gods, aligning with broader secular and critical thinking movements.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "atheism" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "atheism"
-rum sounds
-lem sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈæθ.i.ɪ.zəm/ (US) or /ˈæθ.ɪˌɪz.əm/ (UK). Stress falls on the first syllable: a-THI-sm, with a short first vowel /æ/, a mid-front /θ/ (thin sound), a light /i/ or schwa in the middle, and final /zəm/ or /z(ə)m. Think: AH-thee-iz-əm but with the soft American /iɪ/ and ending 'zəm'. Audio references: try Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries online to hear native pronunciations.
Common mistakes: misplacing stress (saying a-THER-ism), mispronouncing the initial /æ/ as a broad /e/; confusing the middle /ɪ/ with /iː/; and slurring the ending /zəm/ into /zəm/ or /zəm/ with a weak /ə/. Correction: keep initial /æ/ clear, emphasize the first syllable, ensure the middle is a short /ɪ/ or /i/ then a light /z/ followed by a clear /əm/ or /əm/ for final schwa. Practice with minimal pairs to separate the syllables.
US: /ˈæθ.iˌɪ.zəm/ with a clear /ˈæθ/ and a triplet syllable rhythm; UK: /ˈæθ.ɪˌɪz.əm/ may reduce the second /ɪ/ slightly and keep a softer final /əm/; AU: /ˈæθɪˌɪzəm/ can blend the middle vowels more and reduce the final syllable, but keeps the /θ/ as in 'think'. Across accents, rhoticity is not the main difference here since /r/ isn’t present; the central issue is vowel quality and syllable stress timing.
Because it toggles between two close-front vowels /æ/ and /ɪ/ in quick succession and contains the dental fricative /θ/ which can be challenging if not practiced. The sequence /æθ.i.ɪ.zəm/ requires precise tongue placement and smooth transitions between alveolar /θ/ and the vowel sounds, plus a final /zəm/ with a light /ə/ or schwa. Practice helps you lock the rhythm and avoid reducing syllables too early.
No silent letters in the standard pronunciation. All letters contribute to the phonemic makeup: /æ/ for 'a', /θ/ for 'th' in 'athe', /i/ or /ɪ/ for the second syllable, /z/ for 'z', and /əm/ ending. The challenge is not silence but correct articulation of /θ/ and the sequence of vowels. Use IPA guidance and mouth position notes to keep all sounds audible.
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