heterodox

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adjective het·ero·dox \ˈhe-tə-rə-ˌdäks, ˈhe-trə-\

Definition of heterodox

1 : contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form, or an established religion : unorthodox, unconventional heterodox ideas
2 : holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines a heterodox religious sect

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Examples of heterodox in a Sentence

a Christian clergyman with a very heterodox opinion on the divinity of Jesus
her heterodox approach to teaching science initially met with some resistance from her peers

Did You Know?

Orthodoxy ... is my doxy - heterodoxy is another man's doxy, quipped 18th-century bishop William Warburton. He was only punning, but it is true that individuals often see other people's ideas as unconventional while regarding their own as beyond reproach. The antonyms "orthodox" and "heterodox" developed from the same root, the Greek doxa, which means "opinion." Heterodox derives from "doxa" plus "heter-," a combining form meaning "other" or "different"; "orthodoxy" pairs "doxa" with orth-, meaning "correct" or "straight."