doubting Thomas


noun
  1. a person who refuses to believe without proof; skeptic: in reference to the apostle Thomas.

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British Dictionary definitions for doubting Thomas

doubting Thomas

noun
  1. a person who insists on proof before he will believe anything; sceptic

Origin of doubting Thomas

1
after Thomas (the apostle), who did not believe that Jesus had been resurrected until he had proof

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with doubting Thomas

doubting Thomas

One who is habitually doubtful. For example, He was a doubting Thomas about the coming merger, not believing it would ever happen. The term alludes to the disciple Thomas, who doubted Jesus's resurrection until he had first-hand evidence of it (John 20:24–29).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.