Synonyms of heathen

heathen 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhē-t͟hən 

as in barbarian

not civilized

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• barbarian
• rude
• savage
• wild
• primitive
• barbarous
• barbaric
• heathenish
• uncivilized
• natural
• uncultivated
• Neanderthal
• uncivil
• coarse
• crude
• uncouth
• rough
• uncultured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• civilized
• enlightened
• cultured
• sophisticated
• humane
• polite
• genteel
• polished
• refined
• well-bred
• urbane
• semicivilized

heathen

2 of 2

noun

1

as in pagan

a person who does not worship the God of the Bible

a study of the beliefs and practices of ancient heathens

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pagan
• gentile
• atheist
• idolater
• infidel
• unbeliever
• nonbeliever
• agnostic
• skeptic
• misbeliever
• giaour
• miscreant
• neo-pagan
• polytheist
• secularist

2

as in primitive

an uncivilized person

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• barbarian
• primitive
• savage
• Neanderthal
• noble savage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of heathen

Adjective

The Cincinnati Bengals welcome the media heathen universe for a gab session/sitdown, linen-tablecloth lunch known in This Space as The Mock Turtle Soupfest and Weenie Roast. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 28 May 2019

Each essay will identify a contemporary issue, discuss it through the lens of heathen myths, and suggest a solution based on heathen ideals. — Sigal Samuel, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2017

Noun

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

In the years after the Civil War, both Republicans and Democrats portrayed the Chinese arriving on the Pacific Coast as an invading horde, a heathen, unassimilable people. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2022