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A.Word.A.Day--heretic

heretic (HER-i-tik) noun

One who holds unorthodox or unconventional beliefs.

adjective

Not conforming to established beliefs.

[From Middle English heretik, from Middle French heretique, from Late Latin haereticus, from Greek hairetikos (able to choose), from haireisthai (to choose).]

See more usage examples of heretic in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"(George) Keithley offers a portrait of a Galileo who is anything but a heretic: In these poems, we glimpse a devout, spiritual Galileo who, because of the wonders of the sky, is vigilant and in awe of the 'divine creator'." Jenny Boully; Keithley's The Starry Messenger; Maisonneuve (Montreal, Canada); Sep 12, 2004.

"In other words, by holding out until they (Belle and Sebastian) had a fan-base, they could interfere in their own records, a heretic notion in the modern pop world of talentless synchronised pretty boys and spurious Spice persons." Luke Davidson; Ring Out the Belles; Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh); Oct 3, 2004.

This week's theme: words to describe people.

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