1
as in dissenter
a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs
Galileo was condemned as a heretic for supporting Copernicus's thesis that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
he's the ultimate heretic: a Yankees fan living deep in the heart of the Red Sox Nation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heretic
These groups are often treated as heretics who split from Islam and whose beliefs and rituals are deemed beyond the pale of acceptance.
—
Güneş Murat Tezcür, The Conversation, 23 July 2025
Among these men are many violent extremists who consider Syria’s minorities—including Alawites and Christians, as well as Druze and Kurds—to be heretics.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 18 July 2025
Young Morrison got a harsh lesson in how things are done in a blue state: Liberal groupthink is gospel, dissenters are heretics who should be hushed.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 28 May 2025
This approach demands that those who were once secular priests—the leaders of the philanthropic sector—abandon their cassocks and accept the mantle of the heretic.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heretic
Güneş Murat Tezcür, The Conversation, 23 July 2025
Among these men are many violent extremists who consider Syria’s minorities—including Alawites and Christians, as well as Druze and Kurds—to be heretics.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 18 July 2025
Young Morrison got a harsh lesson in how things are done in a blue state: Liberal groupthink is gospel, dissenters are heretics who should be hushed.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 28 May 2025
This approach demands that those who were once secular priests—the leaders of the philanthropic sector—abandon their cassocks and accept the mantle of the heretic.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heretic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretic
Noun
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What’s safe for Jews was itself a matter of disagreement among the bill’s backers and dissenters.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
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Jerusalem — On a hot Friday morning in September, dozens of Israelis turned up at Gaza’s border fence – not as soldiers, but as dissenters.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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United leaned towards Tuchel and De Zerbi — the latter considered a bit of a maverick but ultimately a top coach.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
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Most of our mavericks who fly that close to the sun never get to see that journey through.—
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Podrabinek captures the painful intersections between personal and political in a dissident’s life, and the solidarity that kept the resistance moving forward.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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The director, an Iranian dissident who was imprisoned in her home country and now lives in France, also started her career as a photographer.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Paso Robles is independent, even a bit renegade.—
Justin Goldman,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
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For years, Hollywood content creators have warned about piracy, whether through bootleg VHS tapes, or BitTorrent, or renegade streaming providers.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Over the years, some have considered Kilmer an iconoclast and a somewhat difficult actor at times, but in 2021, his daughter Mercedes told PEOPLE that perception wasn't completely right.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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The portrait that emerges from Kroll’s reporting is that of a man who is equal parts government technocrat, political operator and zealous iconoclast.—
Lisa Riordan Seville,
ProPublica,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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