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
-
His name has been associated with police operations carried out in the context of protests, detentions, and crowd-control actions executed by the PNB, a force that since its creation has played a central role in repressing political dissent.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The seventh and senior justice, Jorge Labarga, born in Cuba and raised in Pahokee, will continue to write solitary dissents.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
A day that started all warm and quiet and cozy has now spiraled into screams of heresy and hearsay punctuated by occasional wrestling matches on the carpet.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
-
That large firms armed with experts would fall into the trap of bidding in auctions in which the winner is cursed to lose was major heresy to economists.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heterodoxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heterodoxy. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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