heretical

American  

[huh-ret-i-kuhl] / həˈrɛt ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of heretics or heresy.

   Synonyms:

   radical, dissident, unconventional, unorthodox

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Other Word Forms

• heretically
  adverb
• hereticalness
  noun
• nonheretical
  adjective
• nonheretically
  adverb
• semiheretical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of heretical

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word haereticālis. See heretic, -al ¹

Explanation

Something that departs from normally held beliefs (especially religious, political, or social norms) is heretical. If your family is resistant to change, they may consider your idea of making pancakes for dinner to be completely heretical. Heretical is the adjective form of the noun heretic, which comes from the Greek word hairetikos, meaning able to choose. What is considered a heretical point of view can change over time. Examples of positions that were once considered heretical but are now accepted as facts include: the Earth is round, the Earth circles the Sun, and a little bit of chocolate is actually good for you.

Example Sentences

She also realized something heretical: She was painfully bored playing with her kids on the floor.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Evolutionary theory is no longer heretical, Galileo has been issued a hall pass to heaven, and quite a few sincere if entirely inadequate apologies have been issued, mostly to people long dead.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

That view isn’t especially heretical among some Fed watchers, given disagreements about the role the Fed’s balance sheet plays in the markets.

From Barron's • Oct. 8, 2025

Call me heretical, but sometimes I feel that way about L.A.’s palm trees.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

After 1653 this dispute turned on the question of whether the five Jansenist propositions condemned by the pope as heretical were or were not to be found in Jansen’s Augustinus.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton