heathen

[ hee-thuhn ]

See synonyms for: heathen heathens on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural hea·thens, hea·then.

(in historical contexts) a member of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a pagan.
Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.
- a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.
- an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.

adjective

(in historical contexts) of or relating to heathens; pagan.
Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.
- relating to a religion, person, or culture that is not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.
- irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized.

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

synonym study For heathen

See pagan.

Other words from heathen

hea·then·dom, noun
hea·then·hood, noun
hea·then·ness, noun
hea·then·ship, noun
half-hea·then, adjective, noun
non·hea·then, noun, plural non·hea·thens, non·hea·then, adjective
un·hea·then, adjective

Words Nearby heathen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heathen in a sentence

Chaillan wrote that he was very proud of his team creating the DoD Enterprise DevSecOps Initiative, which began spreading the holy word of DevSecOps to the backwards cyber-heathens dwelling in the Pentagon.
The Air Force’s chief software officer quit because its technology was so bad | David Roza/Task & Purpose | September 7, 2021 | Popular-Science
For centuries, Christian missionaries in Samiland, an area that stretches over parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, put “heathen” Sami children in boarding schools, with many later saying they had experienced trauma in the institutions.
Hey, Teacher! Indigenous School Wrongs Are Global | Kate Bartlett | June 23, 2021 | Ozy
They also argued that the Bible authorized slavery, and that the slaves were actually being rescued from heathen Africa.
Americans’ Burning Obsession With Hell | William O’Connor | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The culprits are not Hasidic Jews running amok around the world or Tea-baggers bent on replanting Christianity among the heathen.
Only Muslims Can Stop Muslim Terror | Leslie H. Gelb | January 7, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
The names of the gods of the heathen were not even to be mentioned; and hence were not to be used in making an oath.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham

Besides, was not his design to curse Israel either by the true God, or by some gods of the heathen?
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
No wonder that Im a heathen, then; any body would be with such a father, retorted Sue.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. Drinkwater
As separated from the heathen, and called to the service of God, Israel appeared a holy people.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for heathen

heathen

/ (ˈhiːðən) /

nounplural -thens or -then

a person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; pagan
an uncivilized or barbaric person

the heathen (functioning as plural) heathens collectively

adjective

irreligious; pagan
unenlightened; uncivilized; barbaric

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

Origin of heathen

Old English hǣthen; related to Old Norse heithinn, Old Frisian hēthin, Old High German heidan

Derived forms of heathen

heathenism or heathenry, noun
heathenness, noun

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

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