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Synonyms

gnostic

1 American  
[nos-tik] / ˈnɒs tɪk /

adjective

  1. pertaining to knowledge.

  2. possessing knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters.

  3. (initial capital letter) pertaining to or characteristic of the Gnostics.

noun

  1. (initial capital letter) a member of any of certain sects among the early Christians who claimed to have superior knowledge of spiritual matters, and explained the world as created by powers or agencies arising as emanations from the Godhead.

-gnostic 2 American  

  1. a combination of -gnosis and -ic, used to form adjectives from stems ending in -gnosis:

    prognostic.
Gnostic 1 British  
/ ˈnɒstɪk /

noun

  1. an adherent of Gnosticism

"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

adjective

  1. of or relating to Gnostics or to Gnosticism

"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
gnostic 2 British  
/ ˈnɒstɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or possessing knowledge, esp esoteric spiritual knowledge

"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

Usage

What does -gnostic mean? The combining form -gnostic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to knowledge.” It is occasionally used in scientific and technical terms, especially in medicine.The form -gnostic is a combination of two forms. The first is -gnosis, from Greek gnṓsis, meaning “a seeking to know.” The second is the suffix -ic, from Greek -ikos, which denotes adjectives.What are variants of -gnostic?While -gnostic doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -gnosis, as in diagnosis, and -gnomy, as in physiognomy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -gnosis and -gnomy.

Other Word Forms

  • antignostic adjective
  • antignostical adjective
  • gnostically adverb
  • ungnostic adjective

Etymology

Origin of gnostic1

1555–65; < Late Latin Gnōsticī (plural) name of the sect < Greek gnōstikós (singular) pertaining to knowledge, equivalent to gnōst ( ós ) known + -ikos -ic

Origin of -gnostic2

< Medieval Latin -gnōsticus < Greek gnōstikós pertaining to knowledge

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Edgar Calel’s dimly lighted installation, in which stones and plant matter dangle over vessels that hold flickering, electronic flames, transports us to a contemplative gnostic ritual.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

They aren’t new stories so much as alternate ones — subversions of the official story, secret histories, gnostic texts.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2020

The novel finally ends up in a commune where Ana and her gnostic sisters discuss “a plethora of other ideas about women that turned traditionally held beliefs upside down.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2020

We can feel its gnostic effects on our everyday reality, but we rarely see it, and it’s quite inscrutable to non-initiates.

From Slate • Oct. 14, 2019

The term of "gnostic," which was at first so honourable, signifying "learned," "enlightened," "pure," became a term of horror and scorn, a reproach of heresy.

From Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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