heathen

1 of 2

adjective

hea·​then ˈhē-t͟hən 

1

old-fashioned + often disparaging : of or relating to people or nations that do not practice Christianity, Judaism, or Islam : of or relating to heathens (see heathen entry 2 sense 1), their religions, or their customs : pagan

heathen rituals

2

old-fashioned + disapproving : strange, uncivilized

heathen

2 of 2

noun

plural heathens or heathen

1

old-fashioned + often disparaging : a person who is not religious or whose religion is not Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity

Was it better to marry? Even if the man was a heathen?

—Zadie Smith

… gathered in the evening … to look me over, their first heathen.

—Arthur Miller

2

old-fashioned + disapproving : a nonreligious or uncultured person

… they grew up with a keen awareness of Edward's business partner, a true heathen who exemplified eccentric creativity and personal flamboyance.

—Nicholas Fox Weber

heathendom

ˈhē-t͟hən-dəm 

noun

heathenism

ˈhē-t͟hə-ˌni-zəm 

noun

heathenize

ˈhē-t͟hə-ˌnīz 

transitive verb

Did you know?

The Uses and Origins of Heathen and Pagan

Heathen is a dated term used primarily of someone who is not religious, or whose religion is not Judaism, Islam, or especially Christianity. It is also sometimes used disapprovingly of someone who is not cultured; this use is also dated.

In current use, pagan is most commonly used of someone who practices a contemporary form of paganism, such as Wicca, making the word synonymous with neo-pagan. But pagan also has meanings identical to those of heathen; in those uses it too is dated. Additionally, pagan has literary use referring to a nonreligious person who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods.

The origins of heathen and pagan are semantically similar. Heathen likely comes from a term for a country inhabitant—in particular, a “heath dweller.” The Latin source of pagan, paganus, originally meant “country dweller” or “civilian;” it was used at the end of the Roman Empire to refer to people who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, and especially to those who worshiped multiple deities. It’s believed that the religious meanings of paganus developed either from the enduring non-Christian religious practices of those who lived far from the Roman cities where Christianity was more quickly adopted, or from the fact that early Christians referred to themselves as “soldiers of Christ,” making nonbelievers “civilians.”

Synonyms

Adjective

• barbarian
• rude
• savage
• wild
• primitive

Noun

• pagan

Examples of heathen in a Sentence

Adjective

old missionaries who mistakenly thought that they were going off to China to tame the heathen hordes

Noun

a study of the beliefs and practices of ancient heathens

European colonizers, who considered the New World peoples to be heathens, forced them to conform to European ways.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

My dad was raised Methodist and comes from a very devout Methodist family — I was baptized twice because both of them thought the other thing was heathen. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025

Some of my brethren and sis-tren (sis-tren?) in the heathen media tribe get all riled up if a player or coach won’t speak to them. —Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 30 May 2019

Noun

Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025

Among Catholic Filipinos, the stereotype of the Moros as dangerous heathens lingers, and discrimination against them remains widespread. —Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English hethen, from Old English hǣthen; akin to Old High German heidan heathen, and probably to Old English hǣth heath

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

heathen

noun

hea·​then

ˈhē-t͟hən

plural heathens or heathen

1

: a person who does not know about and worship the God of the Bible : pagan

—usually used disparagingly especially in the past

2

: an uncivilized person

—usually used disparagingly especially in the past

heathen adjective

heathendom

-dəm

noun

heathenish

-t͟hə-nish

adjective

heathenism

-ˌniz-əm

noun