1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heretic
Over the last four years, Trump has intervened in GOP primaries across the country to weed out intra-party heretics in both houses of Congress.
—
Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
After his heroics in the original, he was branded a heretic because of his unusual resistance to corruption energies.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024
What better way to dismiss or delegitimize the heretics than to smear them as covert members of the opposition?
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for heretic
Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
After his heroics in the original, he was branded a heretic because of his unusual resistance to corruption energies.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024
What better way to dismiss or delegitimize the heretics than to smear them as covert members of the opposition?
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for heretic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretic
Noun
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Behind the scenes, powerful dissenters like the archconservative Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, head of the Curia’s doctrine watchdog department once known as the Inquisition, maneuvered to sidetrack reformers.—
Mary Jo McConahay,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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Freed from the need to justify his actions in traditional terms, the president has enacted policies no predecessor would have countenanced while moving to purge any internal dissenters.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Kai Havertz’s finishing, for example, or Kylian Mbappe’s work rate, or the gradual erosion of Jack Grealish’s maverick edge.—
Rory Smith,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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Overall, there were palpable achievements, not a few of which involved reminding Americans of the importance of core structural values as the maverick extremes of political discourse exploded in their influence.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Some have held him up as a renegade, choosing freedom over the comforts of domestic life.—
Rick Rojas,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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To someone, the renegade and pop-culture memes might be worth a few months’ rent.—
Hank Sanders,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Ever the iconoclast, Cindy Sherman carried a fur bag and wore rubber boats with her dark suit.—
Ian Malone,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2025
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Zoom in: While some CEOs pride themselves on being collegial consensus-builders, many more like to think of themselves as daring iconoclasts, leading from the front into uncharted opportunity.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
16 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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