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heresy

noun
her·​e·​sy | \ ˈher-É™-sÄ“ How to pronounce heresy (audio) , ˈhe-rÉ™-\
plural heresies

Definition of heresy

1a : adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma (see dogma sense 2) They were accused of heresy.
b : denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church
c : an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma
2a : dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice To disagree with the party leadership was heresy.
b : an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards our democratic heresy which holds that … truth is to be found by majority vote— M. W. Straight
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Synonyms & Antonyms for heresy

Synonyms

dissent, dissidence, heterodoxy, nonconformity

Antonyms

conformity, orthodoxy

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Examples of heresy in a Sentence

They were accused of heresy. He was preaching dangerous heresies.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Suddenly, the inconceivable, the heresy-even-to-hint-at, was to be taken as gospel: The outcome was illegitimate! — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "The Election Is Legitimate Only If the Democrats Win," 16 Aug. 2019 To some, the band’s comingling of money and art is heresy. — Chris Kornelis, WSJ, "Gene Simmons on KISS and Capitalism," 23 Feb. 2019 How the heresies of two bankers became the basis of our modern economy. — Matthew C. Kramer, The New Yorker, "Unsung Heroes of the Internet," 25 May 2018 But Joan of Arc eventually became a martyr when she was killed on charges of witchcraft and heresy, which means having beliefs that are contrary to those of Christian doctrine. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "10 Signs Miley Cyrus's "Mother's Daughter" Is the Ultimate Feminist Anthem," 2 July 2019 Yes, yes, that’s heresy to Disney purists of the old school. — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, "Disney World: Revisiting the Tiki Room birds, Country Bears," 9 July 2019 Boston was founded a few years before the Vatican condemned Galileo for heresy. — BostonGlobe.com, "15 things to love and 11 things to loathe about Boston," 2 July 2019 But in politics, on a formal debate stage, the move was practically heresy. — Robin Givhan, Washington Post, "Kamala Harris wore black. That was both unremarkable and theatrically powerful.," 28 June 2019 A few months ago, Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker, said something that bordered on heresy. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "Mohamad Salah Stands Tall, but Liverpool Cracks Door for Roma," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heresy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of heresy

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for heresy

Middle English heresie, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed (with assimilation to the suffix -ie -y entry 2) from Late Latin haeresis, heresis "school (of philosophy or theology), sect, belief contrary to church dogma," borrowed from Greek haíresis "act of taking, choice, course of action or thought, system of principles, sect, faction," from haireîn "to take, grasp, (middle voice) obtain, choose, prefer" (of obscure origin) + -sis -sis

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More Definitions for heresy

heresy

noun
How to pronounce heresy (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of heresy

: a belief or opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion of a particular religion

See the full definition for heresy in the English Language Learners Dictionary

heresy

noun
her·​e·​sy | \ ˈher-É™-sÄ“ How to pronounce heresy (audio) \
plural heresies

Kids Definition of heresy

1 : the holding of religious beliefs opposed to church doctrine : such a belief
2 : belief or opinion opposed to a generally accepted view It's heresy in my family to not love baseball.

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More from Merriam-Webster on heresy

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with heresy

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for heresy

Spanish Central: Translation of heresy

Nglish: Translation of heresy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of heresy for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heresy

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