HEATHENISH Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

heathenish

adjective

ˈhē-t͟hə-nish

Definition of heathenish

as in barbarian

not civilized found it heathenish for the teenagers to carouse through the graveyard, showing no respect for the dead

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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 heathenish So repealing the Johnson Amendment is just another layer of concrete in the foundation of trust between this heathenish president and his loyal conservative Christian flock. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, 2 Nov. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heathenish

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

Adjective

For instance, your colleagues may be very agreeable and kind to their boss but rude to their more junior colleagues, or the cafeteria waiter.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Bryan Singer’s ingenious thriller is both a graceful callback to ’50s potboilers and a savage modernization of them.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Cole, who has to maneuver his way around 20 savage crew members, each of whom will need to be killed, doesn’t waste a homicidal movement.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

With how the current postseason schedule is set up, the Jays could get through a wild-card round and five-game series with just three starters.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Inspired by real events, the six-parter centers on the first criminal investigation in Spain into the killing of a wild animal, following the death of bear Cachou in the Pyrenees’ Aran Valley in 2020.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of wild

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heathen

heathenish

heathenism

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“Heathenish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heathenish. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of heathenish

adjective

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