heretic

[ noun her-i-tik; adjective her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik ]

/ noun ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk; adjective ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk, həˈrɛt ɪk /

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noun

a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by their 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

heretical.

OTHER WORDS FOR heretic

1 apostate, backslider, recreant, Protestant.

3 dissenter, skeptic, freethinker.

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Origin of heretic

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English heretik from Middle French heretique from Late Latin haereticus from Greek hairetikós “able to choose” (Late Greek: “heretical”), equivalent to hairet(ós) “that may be taken” (verbal adjective of haireîn “to choose”) + -ikos -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM heretic

sem·i·her·e·tic, adjective, noun

Words nearby heretic

heresiology, heresthetic, here's to, heresy, here, there, and everywhere, heretic, heretical, hereto, Here today, gone tomorrow, heretofore, here to stay

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

How to use heretic in a sentence

His reign was rubbed out because his father, Akhenaten, was a “heretic king” who alienated his own people by banishing the worship of all Egyptian gods save for one.
King Tut’s tomb still has secrets to reveal 100 years after its discovery|Bruce Bower|November 2, 2022|Science News
While a student in London, he had earned a reputation as a “scientific heretic, given to sweeping claims,” according to a paper coauthored by a colleague.
Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins|Erin Wayman|September 15, 2021|Science News
Elected leaders willing to challenge the vocal parts of the base know that the media and their intraparty opponents will leap at the chance to cast them as heretics, probably with some effect.
How Trumpian politics stoke the coronavirus pandemic|Philip Bump|August 24, 2021|Washington Post
Theocratic militants from either group view these Shiite Muslims as heretics, and anxious Hazaras are now forming a militia in the mountains of Wardak province, noting that they have no choice but to take up arms if the Americans leave.
Afghanistan: What’s at Stake?|Kate Bartlett|June 1, 2021|Ozy

Her latest book, Heretic: The Case for a Muslim Reformation, will be published in April by HarperCollins.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a 2009 profile of the right-wing firebrand, The New Yorker called Savage “a heretic among heretics.”
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So how is she going to live in this society where you die for being a heretic?
Philippa Gregory: How I Write|Noah Charney|July 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Heretic Andrew Ferguson, The Weekly Standard Who is Thomas Nagel and why are so many of his fellow academics condemning him?
The Week’s Best Longreads for March 23, 2013|David Sessions|March 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As is so often the case in religious history, it is the heretic who shows the weakness of the believer.
Bad Faith on Two States|Shaul Magid|June 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Entrez donc, 'tis the work of one of your compatriots; and here, though a heretic, you may consider yourself on English ground.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
A heretic in medicine being indisposed, his physician happened to call.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Let us suppose that any one who denied the old crude errors of astrology was persecuted as a heretic.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The courtesy of the aged Bossuet, the glory of the Church of Rome, was long gratefully remembered by the young heretic.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Church adjudged Simone heretic, and condemned her for salutary penance to the bread of suffering and the water of affliction.
The Merrie Tales Of Jacques Tournebroche|Anatole France

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 forms of heretic

heretical (hɪˈrɛtɪkəl), adjectiveheretically, adverb

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

Cultural 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.

heretic

OTHER WORDS FOR heretic

Origin of heretic

OTHER WORDS FROM heretic

Words nearby heretic

Words related to heretic

How to use heretic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heretic

Derived forms of heretic

Cultural definitions for heretic