infidel

as in dissenter
disapproving a person who does not believe in a religion that someone regards as the true religion The theocracy regarded as infidels anyone that did not practice their religion.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 infidel The infidels’ free speech or their indoor plumbing and electricity? Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2025 Some, steeped in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, even viewed Israel as an infidel transgressor. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024 Some of their treasured possessions—bicycles, snowboards, trophies—would identify them as infidels and put their lives in danger. Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 5 Nov. 2024 This is the secular equivalent of the absolute divide between believers and infidels that allowed Hamas to massacre Jews without restraint. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 21 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for infidel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infidel
Noun
  • Early last month, Johnson, who has cast three rare tie-breaker votes and come close to issuing the first veto in decades, likened dealing with dissenters to being at a Thanksgiving dinner, where there is sometimes disagreement on what to make.
    Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
  • Big Brother was Josef Stalin – controlling the thoughts of his people, punishing dissenters.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • And, of course, my fantasy went right to some kind of renegade character along the lines of Saw Gerrera.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 May 2025
  • The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.
    Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Noun
  • No one ever converted an unbeliever with harshness, condemnation, and threats of hell.
    Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • An app called Krishna, for example, has already advised killing unbelievers and supporting India's ruling party.
    Scott Shapiro, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Infidel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infidel. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on infidel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!