heretic
[ noun her-i-tik; adjective her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik ]
/ noun ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk; adjective ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk, həˈrɛt ɪk /
noun
a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.
Roman Catholic Church. a baptized Roman Catholic who willfully and persistently rejects any article of faith.
anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.
adjective
Nearby words
heresiography, heresiologist, heresiology, heresthetic, heresy, heretic, heretical, hereto, heretofore, hereunder, hereunto
Origin of heretic
1300–50; Middle English heretik < Middle French heretique < Late Latin haereticus < Greek hairetikós able to choose (Late Greek: heretical), equivalent to hairet(ós) that may be taken (verbal adjective of haireîn to choose) + -ikos -ic
SYNONYMS FOR heretic
Related formssem·i·her·e·tic, adjective, noun
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for heretic
British Dictionary definitions for heretic
heretic
/ (ˈhɛrətɪk) /
noun
mainly RC Church a person who maintains beliefs contrary to the established teachings of the Church
a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field
Derived Formsheretical (hɪˈrɛtɪkəl), adjectiveheretically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for heretic
heretic
mid-14c., from Old French eretique (14c., Modern French hérétique), from Church Latin haereticus, from Greek hairetikos "able to choose," the verbal adjective of hairein (see heresy).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for heretic
heretic
One who challenges the doctrines of an established church (see also established church). Martin Luther was proclaimed a heretic for rejecting many of the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.