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variants also heretic
Definition of hereticalnext
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

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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 heretical These statements were heretical in Athens, where Anaxagoras lived. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025 Although the French and Italian religious authorities welcomed their piety, those in Germany tended to suppress them as heretical and revolutionary. Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 The Druze religion, which grew out of Shiite Islam and has its own unique beliefs and practices, is considered heretical. Hadeel Oueis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025 Church leaders understood these views to be heretical or pagan, reflecting pride and a lack of gratitude to God. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretical
Adjective
  • After hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets in April 2002, Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup by dissident military officers and opposition figures, who installed a new president, businessman Pedro Carmona.
    James Trapani, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • The National Liberation Army, or ELN, and FARC dissident groups operate in multiple states along the Venezuela-Colombia border.
    Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Its modular architecture allows custom sizes, voltages, and geometries, enabling unconventional uses such as structural integration into vehicle frames, drones, or chassis designs.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026
  • In the series, Winkler would play Howard Greenberg, a hard-driving and unconventional criminal defense attorney who is a fierce advocate for his underdog clients.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.
    Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022
  • 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
  • Greene wasn’t in office long before most Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted to bar her from House committees over old social media posts surfaced that included violent rhetoric and out-there conspiracies.
    Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
  • That group — which also included voices from prominent genre brands like Vinegar Syndrome, Fangoria, MPI Media, Alter, and more — toasted not just the scariest cinema but the most out-there media of all kinds.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretical. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

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