heretic
heretic Lexical Profile
heretic Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person believing in or practicing religious heresy; a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by their church or faith.
"Galileo was tried as a heretic by the Inquisition for defending the heliocentric model of the solar system."
A person holding an opinion or belief at odds with what is generally accepted within a particular field, group, or society.
"In the world of classical economics, he was initially dismissed as a heretic for questioning market self-regulation."
• adjective
Relating to or characteristic of heresy or heretics; departing from accepted orthodox beliefs or standards.
"The scholar's heretic writings were swiftly banned by the ecclesiastical authorities."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'heretic' denotes someone who holds unorthodox beliefs WITHIN a particular religion or ideology, an 'apostate' is someone who completely renounces and abandons their former religion or cause, and an 'infidel' is an outsider who does not believe in the religion at all.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'heretique', via Late Latin 'haereticus', from Ancient Greek 'hairetikos' ('able to choose'), derived from 'haireisthai' ('to take or choose for oneself').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.