heathen 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhē-t͟hən How to pronounce heathen (audio)
Definition of heathennext
as in barbarian
not civilized old missionaries who mistakenly thought that they were going off to China to tame the heathen hordes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heathen
Adjective
My dad was raised Methodist and comes from a very devout Methodist family — I was baptized twice because both of them thought the other thing was heathen. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025 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
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026 Marc makes an example of the penitent, powerless Jeanne, reminding the rest of his flock of the punishment for apostasy and using her rough time among the heathens as proof of why none under his control should ever want to trade his order for such modern sin and depravity. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for heathen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heathen
  1. barbarian
  2. pagan
  3. primitive
  4. rude
  5. savage
  6. wild
Adjective
  • Language would have been a part of the divide between Roman and barbarian.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel.
    — Sanat Pai RaikarAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
Definition of barbarian
Noun
  • Whatever the explanation, thousands of people, many dressed as druids and pagans, will gather at the site on Sunday to see the sun rise.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 June 2026
  • Among those cut was the Unitarian Universalist Association (others were atheists, pagans and Wiccans).
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
Definition of pagan
Noun
  • Each is a move to control more of the layer between the customer and the underlying financial primitive, whether that primitive is a card rail, a deposit account, or a stablecoin reserve.
    — Azeem Khan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • What follows this admission is a piercing dissection not of the art itself, but of frameworks of looking at Black art and life that go beyond racist tropes disguised as appeals to the primitive, the spontaneous, the corporeal.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • It’s considered rude to answer one’s phone on public transport or in a restaurant, for example.
    — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
  • When healths were raised during the eighteenth century, it was considered rude or antisocial not to go along with them.
    — Brooke Barbier, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage
Adjective
  • The Royals beat the Mets 16-12 on Tuesday night in New York in their wildest game of the year.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • And the sequence started a wild end to the Dodgers’ first extra-innings game of the season.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of wild

Browse Nearby Words

heath
heathen
heathenish
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Cite this Entry

“Heathen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heathen. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of heathen for Spanish Speakers

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