heresy

American  

[her-uh-see] / ˈhɛr ə si /

noun

plural

heresies

1. opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system.

2. the maintaining of such an opinion or doctrine.

3. Roman Catholic Church. the willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the church.

4. any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.

   Synonyms:

   dissension, iconoclasm, dissent

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heresy British  

/ ˈhɛrəsɪ /

noun

1. 1. an opinion or doctrine contrary to the orthodox tenets of a religious body or church

   2. the act of maintaining such an opinion or doctrine

2. any opinion or belief that is or is thought to be contrary to official or established theory

3. belief in or adherence to unorthodox opinion

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heresy Cultural  

1. A belief or teaching considered unacceptable by a religious group. (See heretic.)

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Other Word Forms

• superheresy
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heresy

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English heresie, from Old French eresie, from Latin haeresis “school of thought, sect,” from Greek haíresis, literally, “act of choosing,” derivative of haireîn “to choose”

Explanation

A heresy is a belief that doesn't agree with the official tenets of a particular religion; heresy is the maintaining of such contrary beliefs. Heresy can be used figuratively: to disagree with the school committee's decisions is considered pure heresy by the faculty. You'll often come across this word in a religious context — the Latin root haeresis, "school of thought or sect," was used by Christian writers to mean "unorthodox sect or belief." This comes from the Greek hairesis, "a taking or choosing," from hairein, "to choose." A person who chooses to believe in heresies is called a heretic.

Example Sentences

Heresy to say it, but “Macbeth” might actually work better on screen, as I’ve argued before.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

In retelling his story, I am relying on an account of it in Karen Walloch’s book The Antivaccine Heresy.

From Slate • Jul. 30, 2021

Mick Jagger will return to acting for the first time in almost 20 years in the new film, "The Burnt Orange Heresy."

From Fox News • Mar. 5, 2020

His next role – and the last substantial one he would take until The Burnt Orange Heresy – came in The Man from Elysian Fields.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2020

Heresy was, moreover, a contagious disease, and spread rapidly and unobserved, so that to the rulers of the times even the harshest measures appeared justifiable in order to prevent its dissemination.

From An Introduction to the History of Western Europe by Robinson, James Harvey

Related Words

• blasphemy
• fallacy