as in dissent
departure from a generally accepted theory, opinion, or practice
the heresy of asserting that Shakespeare was not a great writer
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Recent Examples of heresy
Throughout those two years of production, making the film became increasingly risky, as the Russian government cracked down on any heresy against its nationalistic agenda.
—
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 9 Dec. 2025
Its namesake was astronomer Galileo Galilei, who spent the last eight years of his life under house arrest for heresy for his findings supporting Copernicus’ theory that the sun is the center of the solar system.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025
It was considered a heresy by many even in Darwin’s day.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
A day that started all warm and quiet and cozy has now spiraled into screams of heresy and hearsay punctuated by occasional wrestling matches on the carpet.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heresy
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 9 Dec. 2025
Its namesake was astronomer Galileo Galilei, who spent the last eight years of his life under house arrest for heresy for his findings supporting Copernicus’ theory that the sun is the center of the solar system.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025
It was considered a heresy by many even in Darwin’s day.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
A day that started all warm and quiet and cozy has now spiraled into screams of heresy and hearsay punctuated by occasional wrestling matches on the carpet.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heresy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heresy
Noun
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Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced a sustained crackdown on dissent under Talon, citing arbitrary detentions, tighter restrictions on public demonstrations and mounting pressure on independent media outlets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Nossiter said Guinea is also sensitive to the possibility that the pilots’ case could get amplified publicly by anti-Western nationalists in the country who might frame it as a sovereignty violation at a moment when Conakry is already wary of internal dissent.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Dhillon’s apparent moderation during that time might also be read as a different way of communicating the same underlying heterodoxy from her Review days.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
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Shalom Auslander’s literary career has been built on equal parts comedy, heterodoxy and self-loathing.—
Mark Athitakis,
Washington Post,
25 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Heresy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heresy. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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