HERETICAL Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

heretical

adjective

hə-ˈre-ti-kəl

variants also heretic

Definition of heretical

as in dissident

deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical

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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 heretical It is associated with the Shiite branch of Islam but is considered heretical by most Muslims. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026 Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation. — Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026 This heretical policy gets some support from yet another rigid convention, that of credits, which separates directors from screenwriters. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026 That’s because The Carpenter’s Son is not only gruesomely horror-leaning, but it’s based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which some deem heretical or even blasphemous. — Barry Levitt, Time, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heretical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical

Adjective

The lawsuit comes less than a year after Schwapp asked state officials to prosecute dissident Town Council member Shamar Mahon for allegedly living in Hartford while serving in Bloomfield.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026
The operation, conducted by the army and the Colombian Aerospace Force in the municipality of Mapiripán, also killed three other members of the dissident group, De la Espriella said Sunday.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissident

Adjective

Middlemarch George Eliot’s unconventional Victorian novel upends expectations while crafting a complex portrait of family and individual life in fictional Middlemarch, North Loamshire.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
In it, Leó, a renowned geriatrician specialized in Alzheimer’s disease, develops an unconventional friendship with Ásdís, a psychiatrist who’s returned to Iceland to care for her ailing grandmother.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

They’re made from a faux leather that, frankly, looks really expensive, and are available in 20 colors, including some more out-there prints.

— Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026
Guitarist Adam Turay and trumpeter Ryan Easter both come from the jazzier side of the tracks, the former playing with Afro-R&B group the Narcotix, the latter with more out-there units like WRENS.

— Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Definition of out-there

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heretic

heretical

heretics

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“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of heretical

adjective

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