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
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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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Recent Examples of heretic
Added to that, in the eyes of Roman Catholic Europe—and many of her own subjects—the new Queen was a heretic.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Giordano Bruno, a like-minded heretic, already had been just a few years earlier.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 9 July 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
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
Giordano Bruno, a like-minded heretic, already had been just a few years earlier.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes.
—Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 9 July 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
-
The Indian government, far more committed to democratic procedures than its Chinese counterpart, had crushed dissenters for actions far less provocative.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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One commissioner voted ‘no,’ has concerns The board voted 4-1 to approve the measure; Commissioner Michelle Clasen, who represents Woodbury, was the lone dissenter.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
That’s what being a maverick is about.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
2 June 2026
-
Andrew Yang enjoys being a maverick.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
What once seemed like an agitator railing against the system has become a gatekeeper crushing dissidents under his thumb.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
29 May 2026
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Is Cuba willing to dialogue with Cuban dissidents and grant amnesty to political prisoners?—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Noun
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People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Young Julian might also be surprised by how your Corpus crew, which started kind of like a renegade group of friends, now has real community impact.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Zulfi is an iconoclast and a hustler, a man who dreams of opening a Muslims-only version of Uber and who, even in the face of Shah’s elitism and English society’s broader wariness, holds onto an unshakable optimism.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Tempo’s ascendence and corporate partnerships are indicative of a larger trend where well-heeled, corporate firms—from Robinhood to Stripe—are making their way into blockchain, traditionally the territory of anti-establishmentarians and iconoclasts.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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