heretic
[ noun her-i-tik; adjective her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik ]
/ noun ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk; adjective ˈhɛr ɪ tɪk, həˈrɛt ɪk /
noun
a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.
Roman Catholic Church.
a baptized Roman Catholic who willfully and persistently rejects any article of faith.
anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.
adjective
Origin of heretic
1300–50; Middle English
heretik < Middle French
heretique < Late Latin
haereticus < Greek
hairetikós able to choose (Late Greek: heretical), equivalent to
hairet(ós) that may be taken (verbal adjective of
haireîn to choose) +
-ikos
-ic
SYNONYMS FOR heretic
OTHER WORDS FROM heretic
sem·i·her·e·tic, adjective, nounWords nearby heretic
heresiography,
heresiologist,
heresiology,
heresthetic,
heresy,
heretic,
heretical,
hereto,
heretofore,
hereunder,
hereunto
Example sentences from the Web for heretic
British Dictionary definitions for heretic
heretic
/ (ˈhɛrətɪk) /
noun
mainly RC Church
a person who maintains beliefs contrary to the established teachings of the Church
a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field
Derived forms of heretic
heretical (hɪˈrɛtɪkəl), adjective heretically, adverbCultural definitions for heretic
heretic
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.