variants also heretic
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heretical In education, the time has come for both managerial and heretical leaders. Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025 Puerto Rico and its flag, often used as a heretical emblem and a canvas for the brand’s designs, were deeply influenced by Maldonado’s early exposure to the culture. Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 People are angry’: Fear and chaos grip San Diego’s 47,000-strong federal workforce Historic or heretical? Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025 Join this tactical, practical, and heretical discussion between Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal and leading advocate for secure communication, and author, professor, host of the Remarkable People podcast, and Chief Evangelist of Canva Guy Kawasaki. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
  • Eduard Limonov then—an appropriate nom de plume for a dissident poet arriving in 1974 New York, a metropolis of graffiti and project fires, of blackouts and serial killers.
    Ed Simon June 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
  • Jafar Panahi — the Iranian dissident filmmaker who has been arrested, jailed, and banned from filmmaking numerous times in his home country due to his powerful and provocative work — took home the top prize.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the dissenting view, the star collapses to the edge of the event horizon and then hovers there, or rebounds and explodes.
    Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2015
  • The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022
Adjective
  • The early detection of viral RNA in wild bird droppings, sometimes preceding official poultry outbreaks, suggests that unconventional surveillance in these biologically rich but infrastructurally sparse areas could play a larger role in pandemic risk mitigation.
    John Drake, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Now, in the weeks after its unconventional 22nd anniversary celebration, the label is set to launch one of its biggest — and most personal — compilations yet.
    Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • For now, there’s nothing quite so out-there, although deer blood is the star ingredient in the final dessert, a chocolate-ish (but cocoa-free) fondant served with hazelnut praline and malt ice cream.
    Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
  • An out-there premise, for sure, but one that has so far worked out better than anyone had a right to expect.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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