heathen
heathen Lexical Profile
heathen Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who does not belong to a widely held religion (especially one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim) as regarded by those who do.
"Medieval chroniclers frequently referred to the polytheistic tribes along their borders as heathens."
An unenlightened, uncouth, or uncultured person who lacks manners or moral principles (often used humorously).
"He called his friends heathens for drinking fine espresso out of paper cups."
An adherent of Heathenry, a modern pagan religious movement that reconstructs pre-Christian Germanic and Norse polytheism.
"Modern heathens often gather at seasonal festivals to honor ancestral Germanic deities."
• adjective
Relating to a heathen or heathens, especially concerning polytheistic or non-Abrahamic religious traditions.
"The ancient monument was originally built as a site for heathen worship before being converted into a chapel."
Strange, uncivilized, or lacking moral and cultural refinement.
"She jokingly scolded her roommates for their heathen table manners during dinner."
Word Nuance & Usage
Historically used to describe adherents of non-Abrahamic religions, "heathen" carries strong derogatory connotations in modern religious contexts and is now most commonly used either in historical discussions, modern Germanic Neopagan self-identification, or humorously to mean an uncouth person.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English hæðen ("not Christian or Jewish"), derived from Proto-Germanic *haithanoz, literally meaning "dweller on the heath," created as a Germanic calque of Latin paganus ("country dweller" or "pagan").