heathen

American  

[hee-thuhn] / ˈhi ðən /

noun

plural

heathens, heathen

1. (in historical contexts) a member of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a pagan.

2. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.

   2. an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.

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adjective

1. (in historical contexts) of or relating to heathens; pagan.

2. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. relating to a religion, person, or culture that is not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.

   2. irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized.

heathen British  

/ ˈhiːðən /

noun

1. a person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; pagan

2. an uncivilized or barbaric person

3. (functioning as plural) heathens collectively

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adjective

1. irreligious; pagan

2. unenlightened; uncivilized; barbaric

3. of or relating to heathen peoples or their religious, moral, and other customs, practices, and beliefs

Related Words

See pagan.

Other Word Forms

• half-heathen adjective
• heathendom noun
• heathenhood noun
• heathenism noun
• heathenness noun
• heathenship noun
• nonheathen nounnonheathen, nonheathens
• unheathen adjective

Etymology

Origin of heathen

First recorded before 900; Middle English hethen, Old English hǣthen, akin to German Heide, heidnisch (adjective), Old Norse heithingi (noun), heithinn (adjective), Gothic haithno (noun); perhaps akin to heath

Explanation

If you don't believe in God — or if you contradict other beliefs of a religion — you are a heathen. There are plenty of nonbelievers, but a heathen is something more — someone who is actively offensive to a religion. The term is tied to the Gods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; someone who rejects the various gods of Hinduism, for example, is not likely to be called a heathen. Heathens are sometimes called infidels and pagans. These days, the term is often used humorously. An atheist might jokingly refer to herself as a heathen.

Example Sentences

With the passage of centuries, the Eurocentric accounts that depicted Cortés as a heroic “white savior” and Moctezuma as a cowardly heathen have been eclipsed.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

The story of the "heathen," writes Stanford religious studies professor Kathryn Gin Lum, in her new book, "Heathen: Religion and Race in American History," is a familiar one.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2022

“I joked that since I didn’t get the religious one I must be a heathen or something,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2021

In Bell’s Funkadelic Universe, he wasn’t just an illustrator but an “electric marker heathen of speedomatic dabblings,” as he titled himself on the album “One Nation Under a Groove.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2019

I remembered Aunty Ifeoma’s words from the day before, about Papa-Nnuwku being a traditionalist and not a heathen.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• ungodly