Synonyms of heretic

heretic

noun

ˈher-ə-ˌtik 

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

• dissenter
• dissident
• renegade
• heresiarch
• dissentient
• infidel
• nonconformist
• separatist
• apostate
• sectarian
• defector
• unbeliever
• schismatic
• disbeliever
• individualist
• bohemian
• separationist
• misbeliever

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• believer
• conformer
• conformist

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• maverick
• bohemian
• iconoclast
• eccentric
• deviant
• nonconformist
• freak
• individualist
• loner
• free spirit
• lone wolf
• lone ranger
• anomaly
• enfant terrible
• character
• nonconformer
• freethinker
• boho
• kook
• crackpot
• weirdo
• crank
• counterculturist
• outsider
• nut
• codger
• screwball
• oddball
• misfit
• eight ball
• aberrant
• crackbrain

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adherent
• follower
• supporter
• sheep
• conformist
• conformer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of heretic

Now, such deities were only worshipped by witches and heretics, if at all. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026

Beguines existed on the edge of papal approval until, in 1311, the year after Marguerite died, Pope Clement V declared them heretics. — Literary Hub, 3 Dec. 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