HERETIC Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

heretic

noun

ˈher-ə-ˌtik

Definition of heretic

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in maverick

a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs he's the ultimate heretic: a Yankees fan living deep in the heart of the Red Sox Nation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 As Democratic heretics go, Representative Dan Goldman isn’t guilty of many crimes against his party. — Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 Of course, the ultrafinitist, as the heretic without stable foundations, has a lot more to prove. — Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026 Those who don’t cling to the faith are heretics. — Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026 Now, such deities were only worshipped by witches and heretics, if at all. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heretic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretic

Noun

Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.

— Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
The possibility that these faceless leaders might make a deal to prevent being overthrown was dead when the country decided to murder its dissenters before the war began.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissenter

Noun

Much of the money came from indie maverick Mark Duplass, who challenged the producers and writer/director Elliott Tuttle to make a film on that shoestring budget.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
This fall, Drexler’s wild, maverick sensibility is cropping up all over New York.

— Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of maverick

Noun

The military junta has previously been accused of targeting dissidents by detaining human rights defenders and journalists.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Vietnam shows what such content controls can mean for dissidents, including those in exile.

— Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissident

Noun

Leave it to British art world iconoclast Damien Hirst to answer it definitively.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 3 Oct. 2026
In the dot-com and digital revolutions that followed, many of the people who sold the hardware, coded the software, and built the platforms were seen as iconoclasts themselves.

— Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of iconoclast

Noun

Niger’s ruling junta survived its most serious internal challenge since the 2023 coup after renegade soldiers mutinied in Niamey and Russian Africa Corps fighters helped presidential guards retake a key airbase.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Browse Nearby Words

heresy

heretic

heretical

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heretic

noun

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