agnostically

English

Etymology

From agnostic +‎ -ally.

Adverb

agnostically (comparative more agnostically, superlative most agnostically)

1. In an agnostic manner; not having or expressing a firm opinion on something.

   Synonyms: doubtfully, tentatively, uncertainly

   • 1914, G. K. Chesterton, “The Paradise of Thieves”, in The Wisdom of Father Brown,‎^[1], London: Cassell, page 45:

     “Well,” said the poet tartly, “do people still think me too romantic? Are there, I wonder, any brigands left in the mountains?”
     “There may be,” said Father Brown agnostically.

   • 1922, Sidney Lee, chapter 6, in The Year’s Work in English Studies‎^[2], volume 2, Oxford University Press, page 77:

     […] he writes agnostically of the biographical information regarding Shakespeare.

   • 1997, Máire Messenger Davies, chapter 5, in Fake, Fact and Fantasy: Children’s Interpretations of Television Reality‎^[3], Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, page 61:

     An unambiguous finding from […] the study was the very significant difference between younger and older children in their […] beliefs about Santa Claus and birthday wishes coming true. Younger children, on the whole believed, and older children emphatically disbelieved (with third graders agnostically in between).

2. Toward, or from the perspective of, agnosticism.

   Coordinate terms: atheistically, religiously

   She is agnostically inclined, despite her strict religious upbringing.

   What you call “God” they refer to agnostically as “the universe.”

   • 1878, A. Macleod Symington, “Agnosticism and Dogmatism, from a Puritan Point of view”, in The British and Foreign Evangelical Review‎^[4], volume 27, page 39:

     […] we are asked, on philosophical and critical grounds, to treat these not as sure and most vital truths, but agnostically, that is to say, to let them alone and not attempt to settle them.

   • 1931, Aldous Huxley, “Squeak and Gibber”, in Music at Night and Other Essays‎^[5], London: Chatto & Windus:

     […] the number of people who either dogmatically don’t believe in, or else agnostically or uncaringly, simply don’t bother about immortality is now considerable.

   • 2002, Rhidian Brook, chapter 3, in The Testimony of Taliesin Jones‎^[6], New York: Penguin, page 23:

     ‘ […] all those who believe in God raise your hands. […] ’ […] Taliesin is pleased to see his friend’s hand hover agnostically for a time and then commit.

Translations

in an agnostic manner

• Finnish: agnostisesti
• Polish: agnostycznie (pl)
• Portuguese: agnosticamente