heathen

American  

[hee-thuhn] / ˈhi ðən /

noun

heathens, plural heathen plural

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

Synonym Usage

See pagan.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heathen
  plural
• heathens
  plural

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

See Examples For:

heathen heathens

The tradition has been celebrated for centuries and is believed to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

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

"Just because the word 'heathen' fell into disrepute does not mean that the mental maps through which Americans envisioned the heathen world similarly disappeared," Gin Lum writes.

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

Olly: haikus are awful, they're just less fun limericks Madeline: You've been downgraded from heathen to heretic.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

The eight-track “Under the Midnight Sun” has triggered two singles, “Give Me Mercy” and “A Cut Inside,” with Astbury singing: “No heathens in heaven/ No sweet surrender/ Outsiders forever/ Ghosts of our lives.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2022

So I guess you could say this book is the attempt of a historian to understand myself and my people — people understood to be heathens in the history of this country.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2022

The reactions have been as comical as they are predictable: Wall Street grandees bemoaning the sophomoric heathens who’ve turned finance into a video game.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2021

We may have been wild and rebellious, but our mother wasn’t raising complete heathens.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

• ungodly