Literary notes about skeptical (AI summary)
In literature, the adjective "skeptical" serves as a multifaceted descriptor that captures both a physical expression and an intellectual stance. It is often used to denote a look of doubt or a wary countenance, as in the fading smile that gives way to a look of keen interest ([1]), while also describing a cautious attitude toward plans, claims, or truths—ranging from mild incredulity in everyday conversation ([2], [3]) to rigorous questioning of established beliefs in philosophical or historical contexts ([4], [5]). Authors employ the term to illustrate a character’s resistance to persuasion, whether expressed through a sharp glance ([6], [7]) or an overall demeanor of reserved disbelief ([8], [9]). Ultimately, "skeptical" enriches narrative tension by conveying characters’ inner conflicts between acceptance and doubt ([10], [11]).
- The skeptical smile faded away, little by little, from those thick, sensuous lips, and a look of keen interest took its place by degrees on
— from Michael's Crag by Grant Allen - Ah! if it were not so rare I should never have been so skeptical.
— from Beulah by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans - "Yes, and a house and lot and two yachts," said Jimmy, who was skeptical about the plan.
— from Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker by Matthew M. Colton - And yet it is a case of longevity so well attested that even the most skeptical would hardly venture to question it.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - For it is, to all appearances, highly probable that men, on this point, will be, in the mass, skeptical.
— from Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Hawksworth cast a skeptical glance at the book.
— from The Moghul by Thomas Hoover - he asked, casting a skeptical glance over her.
— from Four and Twenty Beds by Nancy Casteel Vogel - He found James amenable, though doggedly skeptical.
— from The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories by Willa Cather - Frau von Kerich looked skeptical; she was amused by his self-confidence, and only shook her head by way of saying no.
— from Jean-Christophe, Volume I by Romain Rolland - I did not accept—being of a skeptical turn of mind—all that I heard as true.
— from The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Complete ContentsDresden Edition—Twelve Volumes by Robert Green Ingersoll - “I’d like to try that for myself,” said skeptical Davy.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery