heterodox

H4E1T1E1R1O1D2O1X8
UK/ˈhɛt.(ə.)ɹəˌdɒks/US/ˈhɛt.ɚ.əˌdɑks/

adjective

Of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that religion's established beliefs and therefore not heretical.

“Most Christian denominations consider each other heterodox.”

Similar
inorthodoxnonorthodoxunorthodoxdissidentheretical
Opposite
orthodoxhomodox
OriginAncient Greek ἑτερόδοξος →
UncommonScrabble 20
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectiveheterodox (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that religion's established beliefs and therefore not heretical.

    Most Christian denominations consider each other heterodox.

    2 more examples

    Do you believe such people are happy in the other world, sir? {...} I declined answering Mrs. Dean’s question, which struck me as something heterodox.

    1847, Emily Brontë, chapter XVI, in Wuthering Heights

    [Podcast host] Mr. [Joe] Rogan, who leans right but holds fairly heterodox political views, interviewed Mr. Trump and endorsed him on the election’s eve.

    2024 November 8, Cameron Joseph, “Democrats begin soul-searching – and finger-pointing – after devastating loss”, in The Christian Science Monitor

    Synonyms: inorthodox, nonorthodox, unorthodox

  2. not comparableBeliefs contrary to the general consensus.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveOf or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings, especially religious ones, that are different from what a religion (or sect) believes to be orthodox, but (usually) not conflicting with that religion's established beliefs and therefore not heretical.

Similar
inorthodoxnonorthodoxunorthodox
Opposite
orthodoxhomodox

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivecharacterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards

Similar
dissidenthereticalunorthodox
Also see
dissidenthereticalheterodoxicnonorthodoxrenegadeunorthodox

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἑτερόδοξος
  2. Englishheterodox

From Ancient Greek ἑτερόδοξος (heteródoxos), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + δόξα (dóxa, “opinion”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque heterodoxo
  • heterodoxoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Bulgarian неправоверен, еретичен
  • неправоверен (nepravoveren)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • еретичен (eretičen)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Catalan heterodox
  • heterodoxof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Chinese Mandarin 異端的 /异端的
  • 異端的 /异端的 (yìduān de)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Finnish heterodoksinen, eriuskoinen
  • heterodoksinenof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • eriuskoinenof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
French hétérodoxe
  • hétérodoxeof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
German heterodox
  • heterodoxof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Greek αλλόδοξος
  • αλλόδοξος (allódoxos)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Irish heitreadocsach
  • heitreadocsachof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Italian eterodosso, dissidente
  • eterodossoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • dissidenteof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • dissenzienteof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • ereticoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • scismaticoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Japanese 異端な
  • 異端な (itan na)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Portuguese heterodoxo
  • heterodoxoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Russian неортодокса́льный
  • неортодокса́льный (neortodoksálʹnyj)of or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Spanish heterodoxo
  • heterodoxoof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Swedish irrlärig, heterodox
  • irrlärigof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
  • heterodoxof or pertaining to creeds, beliefs, or teachings that are different from the norm
Cite this entry
APA

heterodox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodox

MLA

“heterodox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodox. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heterodox,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodox.

Source: heterodox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.