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heathenism

[ hee-thuh-niz-uhm ]

/ ˈhi ðəˌnɪz əm /

noun

a belief or practice of heathens; idolatry.

barbaric morals or behavior; barbarism.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heathenism

First recorded in 1595–1605; heathen + -ism

Words nearby heathenism

heathberry, heath cock, heathen, heathendom, heathenish, heathenism, heathenize, heather, heathery, heath family, heathfowl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for heathenism

Then follow earnest admonitions to shun the vices of their former state of heathenism, and cultivate all the graces of the Spirit.
Companion to the Bible|E. P. Barrows
Mr. Taylor laughs cheerfully over Alfred Challis's heathenism.
It Never Can Happen Again|William De Morgan
We have seen how heathenism, with its unreasonable and wild vagaries, gave way to the early Christian Church.
A Danish Parsonage|John Fulford Vicary
They might begin to think meanly of others, even of their own husbands, if they were still content to abide in heathenism.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles of St. Peter|J. Rawson Lumby

On the hypothesis that these descriptions had come down from the days of English heathenism all is easily explicable.
The Heroic Age|H. Munro Chadwick

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