1
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
a Christian clergyman with a very heterodox opinion on the divinity of Jesus
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unconventional
not rigidly following established form, custom, or rules
her heterodox approach to teaching science initially met with some resistance from her peers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heterodox
Mollino—a heterodox figure who, from the margins, influenced the trajectory of twentieth-century design—likely never spent a single night there; its existence was only discovered after his death.
—
Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
At Sovereign House, Allen and Easton curated a list of heterodox, and sometimes controversial, speakers.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025
The Free Press has won fans, and created plenty of fodder for critics, with heterodox columns and features.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The original Brat offered a heterodox synth album and venting session dressed in pop-diva garments for normies caught in its flytrap, and Completely different reworks its source material, unraveling threads interwoven in Charli’s patchwork sound.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heterodox
Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
At Sovereign House, Allen and Easton curated a list of heterodox, and sometimes controversial, speakers.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2025
The Free Press has won fans, and created plenty of fodder for critics, with heterodox columns and features.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
The original Brat offered a heterodox synth album and venting session dressed in pop-diva garments for normies caught in its flytrap, and Completely different reworks its source material, unraveling threads interwoven in Charli’s patchwork sound.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for heterodox
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heterodox
Adjective
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There's the dissident intelligence officer Helmuth von Moltke, a conservative who seeks to work from inside against the Nazis (he gets hanged for his trouble).—
John Powers,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
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Diplomacy with the West In 2003, after a dissident group exposed Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities in 2002 and Iran began facing intensifying international pressure, Araghchi was appointed director of the first department of western Europe in Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The situation was finally resolved when a wildlife response team used an unconventional method, crawling under the house and firing paintballs filled with vegetable oil to drive the bear out.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
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This unconventional but sweet design was the perfect reference to Margaret’s free spirit.—
Jessica Gibbs,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
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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
Adjective
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The emerging cooperation has opened the door for American companies to explore opportunities in Venezuela’s mineral-rich south, even as governance on the ground remains dominated by armed groups and informal networks.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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Residents have cleared public rainforest, creating informal plots and erecting makeshift homes.—
Gabriela Sá Pessoa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
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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
Cite this Entry
“Heterodox.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heterodox. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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