heresy

noun

her·​e·​sy ˈher-ə-sē 

ˈhe-rə-

plural heresies

1

a

: adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma (see dogma sense 2)

They were accused of heresy.

b

: denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church

c

: an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma

2

a

: dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice

To disagree with the party leadership was heresy.

b

: an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards

our democratic heresy which holds that … truth is to be found by majority vote

—M. W. Straight

Synonyms

• dissent
• dissidence
• heterodoxy
• nonconformity

Examples of heresy in a Sentence

They were accused of heresy.

He was preaching dangerous heresies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The administration can send senior officials abroad to soothe nerves, walk back the heresies, and reassure everyone that the hegemon is not, in fact, planning to take its marbles and go home. —Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2017

Read more New, hybrid Porsche 911 is a reason to celebrate, not scream Change this, not that: 2024 Porsche Cayenne review The 2025 Porsche Panamera is efficient, expensive and luxurious Brand loyalists called it heresy. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Like Anne Boleyn and Thomas More before him, Cromwell was transported to the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned on charges of treason; heresy; and, most implausibly, conspiring to wed Henry’s daughter Mary. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025

With the rest of Christendom either lost to the Catholic heresy or under Muslim domination, it was left to Russia, as the Third Rome, to keep true Orthodoxy alive and the Antichrist at bay. —Iver B. Neumann, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heresie, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed (with assimilation to the suffix -ie -y entry 2) from Late Latin haeresis, heresis "school (of philosophy or theology), sect, belief contrary to church dogma," borrowed from Greek haíresis "act of taking, choice, course of action or thought, system of principles, sect, faction," from haireîn "to take, grasp, (middle voice) obtain, choose, prefer" (of obscure origin) + -sis -sis

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

heresy

noun

her·​e·​sy ˈher-ə-sē 

plural heresies

1

: religious opinion that is opposed to the doctrines of a church

2

: opinion that is opposed to a generally accepted belief