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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
These statements were heretical in Athens, where Anaxagoras lived.
—
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025
Although the French and Italian religious authorities welcomed their piety, those in Germany tended to suppress them as heretical and revolutionary.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The Druze religion, which grew out of Shiite Islam and has its own unique beliefs and practices, is considered heretical.
—Hadeel Oueis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Church leaders understood these views to be heretical or pagan, reflecting pride and a lack of gratitude to God.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heretical
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025
Although the French and Italian religious authorities welcomed their piety, those in Germany tended to suppress them as heretical and revolutionary.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The Druze religion, which grew out of Shiite Islam and has its own unique beliefs and practices, is considered heretical.
—Hadeel Oueis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Church leaders understood these views to be heretical or pagan, reflecting pride and a lack of gratitude to God.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
-
In Virginia, a dissident hinterland landowner named Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt by aggrieved Colonists that torched the English provincial capital at Jamestown.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
After hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets in April 2002, Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup by dissident military officers and opposition figures, who installed a new president, businessman Pedro Carmona.—
James Trapani,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Timothée Chalamet’s promotional campaign for his new film Marty Supreme has been a little unconventional thus far.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The unconventional stay was also affordable, Giglia says, estimating her guests paid about $250 each for the weekend — a steal compared to her husband’s bachelor party in Los Cabos, Mexico, that ran about $800 per head.—
Jennifer Liu,
CNBC,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
-
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
-
Greene wasn’t in office long before most Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted to bar her from House committees over old social media posts surfaced that included violent rhetoric and out-there conspiracies.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
21 Nov. 2025
-
That group — which also included voices from prominent genre brands like Vinegar Syndrome, Fangoria, MPI Media, Alter, and more — toasted not just the scariest cinema but the most out-there media of all kinds.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
