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

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

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

From Literature

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

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

That's a startling line, emphasizing Melville's suggestion that Queequeg, whom many characters dismiss as a "heathen," is actually the most ethical character in the book.

From Salon

Related Words

• ungodly