heterodox

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

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

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

As president, he’s shown no sign of that heterodox campaign persona, driving Trump-curious Democrats back to the fold.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "The Wisconsin Supreme Court election shows the blueprint for a Democratic wave," 5 Apr. 2018
One reason, according to campaign veterans and endorsers, was that the party’s voters are more heterodox than their party.

— david weigel, Washington Post, "A ‘tea party of the left’? Liberal activists learn tough lessons in quest to purify Democratic Party," 24 Mar. 2018
Trade was just one of many issues on which Trump took a heterodox stance in his campaign.

— molly ball, Time, "President Trump's Tariffs Were His First Big Break With the GOP," 8 Mar. 2018
Friedersdorf: What about the boundary between engaging in heterodox intellectual inquiry and behavior that crosses a line into the harassment of an individual?

— conor friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "A New Leader in the Push for Diversity of Thought on Campus," 6 Feb. 2018
But the heterodox, tolerant Islam that has set it apart from much of the Middle East is under threat.

— The Economist, "Turkey’s religious authority surrenders to political Islam," 18 Jan. 2018
But a partisan perspective must not stop those who oppose Trump from building the kinds of ideologically heterodox coalitions that will be needed to thwart his attacks on democracy.

— yascha mounk, Slate Magazine, "Five Things Americans Can Do to Beat Trump," 9 Feb. 2017
Born in 1883, in upstate New York, Eastman was raised by two politically progressive, theologically heterodox Protestant ministers.

— daniel oppenheimer, New Republic, "The Love Affairs of an American Radical," 2 Oct. 2017
Newton thoroughly lived this heterodox faith, as Mr. Iliffe documents.

— david davis, WSJ, "Newton the Faithful," 4 Aug. 2017

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."