variants also heretic
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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Example Sentences

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 The initial hostility was unrestrained, with religious leaders and many scientists decrying it as heretical and unproven, while others hailed it as a revolutionary insight into the workings of nature. Scott Travers, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 Though publicly perceived to be devout followers of Rinascita's Sentinel, there appear to be heretical tendencies inside the clan. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025 Join this tactical, practical, and heretical discussion between Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal and leading advocate for secure communication, and author, professor, host of the Remarkable People podcast, and Chief Evangelist of Canva Guy Kawasaki. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025 Rafinesque’s erratic and eccentric behavior, as part heretic and part adventurer, cements him as a figure of forgotten legend. Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for heretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
  • In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car.
    David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
  • He’d been allowed through the security checkpoint to attend a session given by a professor at the university, a Tunisian dissident and political exile, a specialist in the liberation movements of the Global South.
    David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In the dissenting view, the star collapses to the edge of the event horizon and then hovers there, or rebounds and explodes.
    Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2015
  • The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022
Adjective
  • That meant the movie, which sees an unconventional band of antiheroes brought together to combat a supervillain, escaped a decision by China to curb Hollywood imports earlier this month as part of its retaliation against the United States.
    Casey Hall and Sophie Yu, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • From backing unconventional shows like Stranger Things to challenging Hollywood’s release models, Netflix has cultivated a ‘risk position’ that runs through its culture, structure, leadership, and decision-making.
    London School of Economics, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • For now, there’s nothing quite so out-there, although deer blood is the star ingredient in the final dessert, a chocolate-ish (but cocoa-free) fondant served with hazelnut praline and malt ice cream.
    Ann Abel, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
  • An out-there premise, for sure, but one that has so far worked out better than anyone had a right to expect.
    Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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