variants also heretic
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical

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Examples 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 heretical Both of them viewed Christianity and Judaism as so alike that each faith might view the other as a heretical version of its own teachings. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Oct. 2024 The Gulf states wanted nothing to do with Obama’s ideas of sharing the region with Iran and even less to do with his heretical ideas about embracing democracy and the Arab Spring uprisings. Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2022 The weeks leading up to Imbrie’s killing saw a spate of violent incidents against the Baha’i, a minority religious group viewed as a heretical sect by the majority Shiite Muslim population. Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024 Just the idea of extinction, writes Taylor, was heretical. Brenda Wineapple, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for heretical 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
  • The capacity of civil society to serve as a place where dissident voices can speak out is fundamental to democratic freedom.
    Johann Neem / Made by History, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025
  • As a young adult, Mr. Kara-Murza remained active in both journalism and politics in Russia, working alongside Mr. Nemtsov and producing a documentary series about the Soviet dissident movement.
    Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • In the dissenting view, the star collapses to the edge of the event horizon and then hovers there, or rebounds and explodes.
    Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2015
  • 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
Adjective
  • There, unconventional thinkers took advantage of a collapsing market.
    William Mullane, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Many albums and side projects later, aren’t the Strokes due a multi-track overview that takes us through their unconventional career?
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • As far as more out-there collaborators go, how did the tape with Surf Gang happen?
    Mano Sundaresan, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025
  • This will be the Mortal Fools’ third gig ever, again at Evanston SPACE — an out-there booking for a venue whose 2025 talent so far includes Emmylou Harris and Josh Rouse.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near heretical

Cite this Entry

“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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