Meaning & use
heretic
Last updated
A person who holds beliefs that conflict with established, especially religious, doctrine.
See it in a sentence
In the medieval church, anyone who questioned official teaching risked being branded a heretic.
The scientist was treated as a heretic for challenging the accepted theory.
A note on using this word
Although rooted in religious history, 'heretic' is often used more broadly today for anyone who challenges widely accepted ideas within a field.
Words with a similar meaning
dissenternonconformist
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
believerorthodox
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