doubter
UK[ˈdaʊtə(r)]US[ˈdaʊtər]
n
a person who is uncertain or lacks conviction about something.
n
a person who questions or disputes accepted opinions or beliefs.
Morpheme Breakdown
doubt
er
doubt
to be uncertain
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word "doubter" is a transparent english formation, combining the verb "doubt" with the agentive suffix "-er." the core verb "doubt" entered english via old french "douter," which itself descended from latin "dubitare," meaning to hesitate or waver between two possibilities. this latin root is thought to be connected to the proto-indo-european root dwo-, meaning "two," conceptually linked to being of two minds. the suffix "-er," of germanic origin, is one of the most productive in english for forming agent nouns, directly assigning the role of "one who doubts" to the person described.
Analysis
Structure: doubt (to be uncertain) + er (agent suffix)
doubt (from latin 'dubitare', meaning to waver, hesitate); er (from old english '-ere', an agent noun suffix indicating a person who performs an action).
Examples
he was a natural doubter, always questioning the evidence before accepting a conclusion.
the proposal faced criticism from both supporters and doubters within the committee.
as a skeptic and a doubter, she rarely took anything at face value.