heretic

noun

her·​e·​tic ˈher-ə-ˌtik How to pronounce heretic (audio)
ˈhe-rə-
1
religion : a person who differs in opinion from established religious dogma (see dogma sense 2)
especially : a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church who refuses to acknowledge or accept a revealed truth
The church regards them as heretics.
2
: one who differs in opinion from an accepted belief or doctrine : nonconformist

Examples of heretic in a Sentence

The church regards them as heretics. Galileo was condemned as a heretic for supporting Copernicus's thesis that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa.
Recent Examples on the Web Such behavior resulted in Pope Innocent III’s papal push to exterminate these heretics—leading to a slaughter of between a quarter and a million Cathars in the 13th century during the Albigensian crusade. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The heathen is the enemy, but the heretic is something worse, a traitor. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024 This approach demands that those who were once secular priests—the leaders of the philanthropic sector—abandon their cassocks and accept the mantle of the heretic. Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024 General Suleimani had directed the crucial role played by Iran and its allies in the military defeat in Syria and Iraq of the Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim extremist group that sees Iran’s Shiite Muslim majority as heretics. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2024 But hidden heretics persisted for another 100 years. Jonathan Kandell, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023 To dissent was to be branded a big-government heretic who would imperil the money machine of capitalism. Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2023 Francis has already been facing a revolt on the right, with his most bitter conservative critics decrying him as a heretic. Kate Brady, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2023 Its religious trappings are plain enough: the attribution of natural catastrophes to human wickedness, revelations of the apocalypse, persecution of heretics. Christian Schneider, National Review, 28 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heretic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heretik, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French heretic, heretik, borrowed from Late Latin haereticus, hereticus, borrowed from Late Greek hairetikós, from hairetikós, adjective, "departing from dogma, heretical," going back to Greek, "able to choose, due to choice," from hairetós "that may be taken, eligible, chosen," verbal adjective of haireîn "to take, grasp, (middle voice) obtain, choose, prefer" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at heresy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heretic was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near heretic

Cite this Entry

“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heretic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heretic

noun
her·​e·​tic ˈher-ə-ˌtik How to pronounce heretic (audio)
: a person who believes or teaches something opposed to accepted beliefs

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