1
as in dissenter
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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2
as in maverick
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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Recent Examples of heretic
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
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Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
After his heroics in the original, he was branded a heretic because of his unusual resistance to corruption energies.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024
What better way to dismiss or delegitimize the heretics than to smear them as covert members of the opposition?
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
The stake, with the hooded heretic, the black man or the witch attached to it, is the burning tree and body of the infernal world.
—John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretic 
Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
After his heroics in the original, he was branded a heretic because of his unusual resistance to corruption energies.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2024
What better way to dismiss or delegitimize the heretics than to smear them as covert members of the opposition?
—Pamela Paul, The Mercury News, 29 June 2024
The stake, with the hooded heretic, the black man or the witch attached to it, is the burning tree and body of the infernal world.
—John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for heretic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heretic
Noun
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In 2013, Hecht was sworn in as chief justice by then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, another great dissenter whose views later became the majority.Eleanor Klibanoff, Austin American-Statesman, 30 Dec. 2024
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Andrew Ferguson, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to replace Khan as FTC chair, was the sole dissenter.Samantha Delouya, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Neon has North American rights to Orwell, which will tell the story of the English maverick novelist known for searingly satirical critiques of authoritarianism.Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2025
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Jimmy Carter by Julian Zelizer (2010) Princeton history professor Julian Zelizer examines Carter's strategy as a maverick politician who was successful at communicating with and rallying voters disaffected by politics, but who faced challenges building a strong political coalition once in office.Teresa Xie, NPR, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Today, only Arizona and Hawaii are the lone renegades, keeping their clocks constant on standard time.Sheldon H. Jacobson, Boston Herald, 30 Oct. 2024
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Maybe that’s why this adaptation of the first-person-shooter franchise feels so by-the-numbers, as a renegade robot sparks a revolution by attaining a series of unlikely victories in a futuristic gladiatorial arena.Scott Meslow, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Rebellion brings acclaim, which brings public expectations, which brings more rebellion: a cycle that’s true to Dylan’s life, but also that of many previous iconoclasts portrayed on film.Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2024
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While he may be known for being an iconoclast, Bob Dylan has a public persona — aloof, remote, borderline misanthropic — that doesn’t exactly lend itself to the typical Hollywood treatment.Aja Romano, Vox, 25 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Heretic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heretic. Accessed 16 Jan. 2025.
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