variants
also heretic
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of heretical
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
Just the idea of extinction, writes Taylor, was heretical.
—Brenda Wineapple, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretical 
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
Just the idea of extinction, writes Taylor, was heretical.
—Brenda Wineapple, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
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Ferrer, the leader of the dissident organization Unión Patriótica de Cuba, was one of the most prominent political prisoners the Cuban government had been holding as bargaining chips.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
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Sacred Fig offers Academy voters the rare chance to pick a film from a dissident director.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In the dissenting view, the star collapses to the edge of the event horizon and then hovers there, or rebounds and explodes.—
Corey S. Powell,
Discover Magazine,
26 Feb. 2015
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The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
3 June 2022
Adjective
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To further enhance its defenses, potential Russian targets have adopted several unconventional air-defense techniques, including the installation of large nets around critical infrastructure to ensnare incoming drones.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
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Jack De Mave, who portrayed a U.S. forest ranger on Lassie and an unconventional date for Valerie Harper’s Rhoda Morgenstern on the second episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As far as more out-there collaborators go, how did the tape with Surf Gang happen?—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
17 Jan. 2025
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This will be the Mortal Fools’ third gig ever, again at Evanston SPACE — an out-there booking for a venue whose 2025 talent so far includes Emmylou Harris and Josh Rouse.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near heretical
Cite this Entry
“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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