This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
heretic
[ noun her-i-tik; adjective her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik ]
/ noun ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk; adjective ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk, həˈrɛt ɪk /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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
OTHER WORDS FOR heretic
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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, nounWords nearby heretic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use heretic in a sentence
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, adverbCollins 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.
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.