heretic

[ noun her-i-tik; adjective her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik ]

noun

1. a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by their church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.

   Synonyms: backslider, Protestant, recreant, apostate

2. Roman Catholic Church. a baptized Roman Catholic who willfully and persistently rejects any article of faith.
3. anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.

   Synonyms: freethinker, skeptic, dissenter

adjective

1. heretical.

heretic

/ ˈhɛrətɪk; hɪˈrɛtɪkəl /

noun

1. RC Church a person who maintains beliefs contrary to the established teachings of the Church
2. a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field

heretic

1. One who challenges the doctrines of an established church (see also established church ). Martin Luther was proclaimed a heretic for rejecting many of the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church .

Derived Forms

• heˈretically, adverb
• heretical, adjective

Other Words From

• semi·here·tic adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heretic¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English heretik from Middle French heretique from Late Latin haereticus from Greek hairetikós “able to choose” ( Late Greek: “heretical”), equivalent to hairet(ós) “that may be taken” (verbal adjective of haireîn “to choose”) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Warning: This column includes spoilers for the film “Heretic.”

From Los Angeles Times

I went to see “Heretic” four days after the election.

From Los Angeles Times

Though it remains to be seen what a second Trump administration will mean for this country in terms of economics and international relations, the cultural effects have already begun: The day before I saw “Heretic,” my teenage daughter and her friends were bullied by male schoolmates who chanted “Your body, my choice — Trump 2024,” something that is occurring across the country with frightening regularity.

From Los Angeles Times

So forgive me if I clocked but didn’t appreciate the irony of Reed’s “I did this because you let me” lecture in “Heretic,” or its depiction of women in cages.

From Los Angeles Times

For the record, I appreciated his performance and I mostly enjoyed watching “Heretic,” which, though predictable at times, sounds all the requisite creepy notes while still being more thoughtful and less bloody than much of the genre.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dissenter
• schismatic