heretics

noun

plural of heretic
1
as in dissenters
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 mavericks
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

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 heretics As Democratic heretics go, Representative Dan Goldman isn’t guilty of many crimes against his party. — Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 Those who don’t cling to the faith are heretics. — Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026 Among those applauding at the end was Carmen Chaplin, one of the director’s granddaughters, and even heretics, whose faith in Chaplin is fickle, will have been swept along. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretics
  1. dissenters
  2. mavericks
  3. dissidents
  4. iconoclasts
  5. deviants
  6. nonconformists
Noun
  • The plan passed a subcommittee vote in May with no dissenters.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • But Barberena and Brody said the move this week by authorities went a step further, noting that those erased from the system were not just dissenters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Definition of dissenters
Noun
  • 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
  • The confluence at Black Mountain of émigré artists like Josef and Anni Albers with homegrown mavericks like John Cage and Buckminster Fuller (who constructed his first geodesic dome there) marked an early flowering of this mode of learning, which was still in fine health decades later.
    — Christopher Benfey, The New York Review of Books, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of mavericks
Noun
  • When Platner arrived, the place seemed haunted not only by American misconduct but also by Saddam Hussein’s use of it to imprison and abuse political dissidents during his reign.
    — Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
  • The organization Cubalex, which legally advises dissidents and reports human rights violations from outside of the country, filed a habeas corpus petition on his behalf Monday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of dissidents
Noun
  • By the early 1990s, Eugene had earned itself a reputation as a beacon of progressive-minded irreverence, drawing a pungent mix of weirdos, iconoclasts, and freethinkers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of iconoclasts
Noun
  • Cool people aren't merely deviants.
    — Caleb Warren, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of deviants
Noun
  • At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of nonconformists

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heretical
heretics
heretofore
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Cite this Entry

“Heretics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretics. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of heretics for Spanish Speakers

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