as in dissent
departure from a generally accepted theory, opinion, or practice
Copernicus's theory that the earth revolved around the sun was arrant heterodoxy at a time when the earth was thought to be the center of the universe
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Recent Examples of heterodoxy
Shalom Auslander’s literary career has been built on equal parts comedy, heterodoxy and self-loathing.
—
Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Historians have put forward theories which emphasized the (overstated) isolation of the province, its religious heterodoxy, and, most compellingly, its lack of the kind of 17th-century political traditions that colonists in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia drew on for support.
—Alexandra L. Montgomery, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 July 2021
The third or worst scenario would be if Rome would for some reason fail to address this situation on time; the heterodoxy would consequently rashly spread within the Church.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Trump’s heterodoxy and disruptiveness provided the equivalent of an enormous natural experiment, and the results were surprising.
—Oren Cass, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2021
Four months later, Wilson was ousted as CEO of Ascend, having already been stripped of his responsibilities as early as July, just one month after expressing his heterodoxy.
—Madeline Fry Schultz, Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2020
McCain does not appear to have consciously intended his embrace of the campaign finance reform topic to be a major act of ideological heterodoxy.
—Matthew Yglesias, Vox, 26 Aug. 2018
Kanye has long worked with songwriters — something that, because it’s perceived as heterodoxy, is rarely discussed openly.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 25 June 2018
Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Historians have put forward theories which emphasized the (overstated) isolation of the province, its religious heterodoxy, and, most compellingly, its lack of the kind of 17th-century political traditions that colonists in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia drew on for support.
—Alexandra L. Montgomery, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 July 2021
The third or worst scenario would be if Rome would for some reason fail to address this situation on time; the heterodoxy would consequently rashly spread within the Church.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Trump’s heterodoxy and disruptiveness provided the equivalent of an enormous natural experiment, and the results were surprising.
—Oren Cass, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2021
Four months later, Wilson was ousted as CEO of Ascend, having already been stripped of his responsibilities as early as July, just one month after expressing his heterodoxy.
—Madeline Fry Schultz, Washington Examiner, 10 Dec. 2020
McCain does not appear to have consciously intended his embrace of the campaign finance reform topic to be a major act of ideological heterodoxy.
—Matthew Yglesias, Vox, 26 Aug. 2018
Kanye has long worked with songwriters — something that, because it’s perceived as heterodoxy, is rarely discussed openly.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 25 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heterodoxy
Noun
-
Netanyahu echoed the concern, warning that political violence aimed at silencing dissent undermines democratic values worldwide.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Following her ouster, Comey warned that she was being made an example of in order to quell potential dissent within the DOJ.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the value-investing, human discretion driven ethos of PIMCO this was heresy.—
Vineer Bhansali,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
All have historical roots, many once considered and debated, just to be cast aside during the Oslo years, when the two-state solution—whose roots were shallower—ruled supreme, became the lingua franca, and all else was deemed heresy.—
Hussein Agha,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heterodoxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heterodoxy. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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