Preposition: of

• claim: Cindy was skeptical of the claims about who owned the land.

• story: If you have not experienced anything like the incident related above, you should be extremely skeptical of this story.

Preposition: about

• claim: Nevertheless, some psychologists are skeptical about this claim.

• thing: But over the last few years I've become skeptical about the whole thing.

Modifying Another Word

• somewhat: Frankly, I was somewhat skeptical that this book could deliver on the promises made in its subtitle.

• deeply: They don't trust Bush, and they're deeply skeptical of American attempts to impose democracy by force.

• initially: Ms. Martinez said she was initially skeptical about using lobsters or crawfish for research.

• slightly: Being a big fan of these types of movies I was slightly skeptical about seeing the last samurai.

• increasingly: Analysts say it is an attempt by the government to sell an unpopular foreign policy to its increasingly skeptical citizens.

• extremely: I am extremely skeptical indeed about this " historical ring " argument.

Modifies a noun

• environmentalist: The skeptical environmentalist: measuring the real state of the world.

• attitude: DO take a skeptical attitude toward mutual fund ratings.

• literature: There are innumerable serious issues with Christianity laid out in the existing body of skeptical literature.

• argument: Ironically, these skeptical arguments can be based on the same sort of evidence used in the original argument.

• reader: His conclusions should be convincing to the most skeptical reader.

• view: What I am giving is the scientific skeptical view.

Used with adjective complement

• remain: Without answers to these questions, I remain skeptical.

• become: We become skeptical at the very time we are most desperate.

• seem: The media doesn't seem very skeptical, which they should be.