heretical

adjective

he·​ret·​i·​cal hə-ˈre-ti-kəl 

variants or less commonly heretic

ˈher-ə-ˌtik 

ˈhe-rə-

1

: of or relating to adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma : characterized by heresy

heretical writings

2

: of, relating to, or characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards : unorthodox

It would be heretical to suggest changing company policy.

heretically

hə-ˈre-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• dissentient
• dissenting
• dissident
• heterodox
• iconoclastic
• maverick
• nonconformist
• nonorthodox
• out-there
• unconventional
• unorthodox

Examples of heretical in a Sentence

the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical

Recent Examples on the Web

Thirst won the Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or, which is some great prestige for this heretical South Korean horror drama. —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heretikel, borrowed from Medieval Latin haereticālis, from Late Latin haereticus heretic + Latin -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

heretical

adjective

he·​ret·​i·​cal hə-ˈret-i-kəl 

: of, relating to, or characterized by heresy : unorthodox

heretically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb