Heretical
//həˈɹɛtɪkəl// adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to heresy or heretics.
"At least as Auxentius reports him in the covering letter which precedes Ulfila’s confession, he is as vehement in his opposition to what he sees as heretical alternatives to his own form of belief as most other participants in the controversies of the time. Heretics are not Christians but antichrists. Homoousians, Homoiousians, and Macedonians are all included in this blanket condemnation."
- 2 Contrary to mainstream or accepted opinion.
Adjective
- 1 characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards wordnet
Example
More examples"Tom grew up in a heretical sect."
Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Middle French eretical and from Medieval Latin haereticālis, from haereticus, equivalent to heretic + -al. See heretic.
Related phrases
More for "heretical"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.