1
as in dissenter
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

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 heretic Such atrocities were carried out by regime paramilitaries such as the Fedayeen Saddam, many of whom, the regime’s records indicate, were poor Shiites who are considered heretics by ISIS. Samuel Helfont, Foreign Affairs, 12 Jan. 2016 By building a social and political movement that gave him coercive power over the GOP, he’s been able to punish heretics and elevate loyalists committed to advancing his agenda and interests. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 27 Mar. 2025 The show is set in 15th century Europe at a time of inquisition, a time when heretics are burned at the stake and it is essentially forbidden to look at the stars. Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025 By 1120, the church council in Jerusalem ordered that sodomites, like heretics, be burned at the stake. S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heretic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretic
Noun
  • Board member Camille Rodriguez was the lone dissenter during the board vote.
    Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Outgoing Councilwoman Jenny Spencer was the only dissenter.
    Sam Allard, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • So naturally, the series went in a totally different direction with the new boss, introducing him as a maverick who runs into danger and a chief whose leadership style is a far cry from Boden’s strong but kind-hearted approach.
    Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 11 Apr. 2025
  • At one point, that must have seemed like a sweet validation for Navarro, a maverick among prominent economists despite his Harvard Ph.D.
    Niall Stanage, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • While one reading of Xi is that his rhetoric is in part a strategic move to burnish Chinese power globally, labeling Taiwan as a renegade or breakaway province is, for many, a clear indication of an intention to invade and bring the island within the geography of Chinese sovereignty.
    Colin Flint, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The renegades were attempting to void the ACC’s grant-of-rights agreement, which would clear them to join the SEC or Big Ten.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Historically, his efforts to advance more climate-friendly technologies, his socially liberal stances, and his entrepreneurship positioned him as a likable iconoclast by broad swathes of the population.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Even as Republicans embrace him as an iconoclast, Democrats and other critics have lambasted Kennedy as a know-nothing without the scientific or bureaucratic experience to do the job effectively.
    Vox Staff, Vox, 7 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on heretic

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!