heretical

adjective

he·​ret·​i·​cal hə-ˈre-ti-kəl How to pronounce heretical (audio)
variants or less commonly heretic
ˈher-ə-ˌtik How to pronounce heretical (audio)
ˈhe-rə-
1
: of or relating to adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma : characterized by heresy
heretical writings
2
: of, relating to, or characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards : unorthodox
It would be heretical to suggest changing company policy.
heretically adverb

Examples of heretical in a Sentence

the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Both of them viewed Christianity and Judaism as so alike that each faith might view the other as a heretical version of its own teachings. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Oct. 2024 The Gulf states wanted nothing to do with Obama’s ideas of sharing the region with Iran and even less to do with his heretical ideas about embracing democracy and the Arab Spring uprisings. Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2022 The weeks leading up to Imbrie’s killing saw a spate of violent incidents against the Baha’i, a minority religious group viewed as a heretical sect by the majority Shiite Muslim population. Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024 Just the idea of extinction, writes Taylor, was heretical. Brenda Wineapple, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for heretical 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heretikel, borrowed from Medieval Latin haereticālis, from Late Latin haereticus heretic + Latin -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heretical was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near heretical

Cite this Entry

“Heretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heretical. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

heretical

adjective
he·​ret·​i·​cal hə-ˈret-i-kəl How to pronounce heretical (audio)
: of, relating to, or characterized by heresy : unorthodox
heretically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on heretical

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