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
Farinata, the proud heretic; Ulysses, the defiant king; Ugolino, the father turned cannibal who ate his own sons?
—
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
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
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
Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
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
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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They were being given the time and guidance to notice how those men carried themselves — the set of a shoulder, the placement of a hand, the stance of a dissenter making his case.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
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The dissenters largely expressed the view that the next move could be higher or lower, depending on how conditions unfold.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Carl Anka Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England career is a fascinating case study in why team sports can prefer the orthodox to the mavericks.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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And what once was a simple majority-rules vote each week has been complicated by the addition of individual immunity idols and advantages that can shift the balance of power from the collective toward maverick individuals.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Zvyagintsev has never cast himself as a dissident; his dense stories of corrupt authority and moral turpitude could arguably be told anywhere.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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The case has become one of the most emblematic examples cited by rights organizations accusing Venezuela’s security apparatus of using arbitrary detention, incommunicado imprisonment and forced disappearances against dissidents and suspected opponents.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
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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
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To distinguish itself from all the other renegade action shows out there, showrunner Kyle Killen echoes his project’s cinematic predecessor, albeit with hollow results.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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On the top floor of a Brooklyn brownstone, the AD100 iconoclast has realized an immersive feat of contemporary design—and by hand no less.—
Sam Cochran,
Architectural Digest,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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