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
Recent Examples of heterodox from the Web
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Mother Jones columnist Kevin Drum, an influential though occasionally heterodox liberal, seconded the argument.
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Because the president is a foreign policy novice with heterodox views, Congress has been unusually eager to serve as backseat drivers for his diplomatic efforts.
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Tyrel Ventura, co-host of the evening show Watching the Hawks and son of Jesse, says his dad was ostracized from politics, then cable news, for his heterodox beliefs.
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Weinstein’s concerns about PrEP are in line with his other heterodox positions, which often cut against the sexual-liberationist doctrine embraced by other activists.
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The economists who have offered theories of inequality tend to be those on the heterodox fringes: David Ricardo, Karl Marx, Henry George and, more recently, Thomas Piketty.
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Decius is a longtime conservative, though a heterodox one.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heterodox.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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."
Origin and Etymology of heterodox
Late Latin heterodoxus, from Greek heterodoxos, from heter- + doxa opinion — more at doxology
HETERODOX Defined for English Language Learners
heterodox
playDefinition of heterodox for English Language Learners
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: not agreeing with established beliefs or standards
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