HERETICS Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

heretics

noun

plural of heretic

as in dissenters

a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs Galileo was condemned as a heretic for supporting Copernicus's thesis that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa

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as in mavericks

a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs he's the ultimate heretic: a Yankees fan living deep in the heart of the Red Sox Nation

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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 heretics As Democratic heretics go, Representative Dan Goldman isn’t guilty of many crimes against his party. — Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 Those who don’t cling to the faith are heretics. — Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026 Among those applauding at the end was Carmen Chaplin, one of the director’s granddaughters, and even heretics, whose faith in Chaplin is fickle, will have been swept along. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 9 July 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretics

Noun

The possibility that these faceless leaders might make a deal to prevent being overthrown was dead when the country decided to murder its dissenters before the war began.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Several top critics in Britain and Australia were notably warm towards the film, though both countries, certainly, had dissenters as well.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissenters

Noun

For Jia, who has watched generations of Chinese talents develop in a variety of ways, his hope is for these Chinese mavericks playing in America to stay.

— Fred He, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Carl Anka Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England career is a fascinating case study in why team sports can prefer the orthodox to the mavericks.

— The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 13 May 2026

Definition of mavericks

Noun

The 30-page superseding indictment accuses the couple of overseeing a system of political repression that relied on Venezuela's military, intelligence agencies and security forces to torture their opponents, silence dissidents and maintain power.

— Alice Gainer, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
So, naturally, the current Republican administration is treating today’s Nicaraguan dissidents as heroes and honoring the offer of sanctuary, right?

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissidents

Noun

In the dot-com and digital revolutions that followed, many of the people who sold the hardware, coded the software, and built the platforms were seen as iconoclasts themselves.

— Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026
John Baldessari was one of the great iconoclasts of 20th century art.

— Douglas Markowitz, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of iconoclasts

Noun

At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
At the same time, the conception of Poe the writer seems to tap into a cultural affection for outsiders, nonconformists and underdogs who ultimately prove their worth.

— Scott Peeples, The Conversation, 19 Jan. 2023

Definition of nonconformists

Browse Nearby Words

heretical

heretics

heretofore

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“Heretics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretics. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heretics

noun

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