heresy

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: her=e=sy

CIDE DICTIONARY

heresy, n. [OE. heresie, eresie, OF. heresie, iresie, F. hérésie, L. haeresis, Gr. a taking, a taking for one's self, choosing, a choice, a sect, a heresy, fr. to take, choose.].

•  An opinion held in opposition to the established or commonly received doctrine, and tending to promote a division or party, as in politics, literature, philosophy, etc.; -- usually, but not necessarily, said in reproach.  [1913 Webster]

  "New opinions
  Divers and dangerous, which are heresies,
  And, not reformed, may prove pernicious."  [1913 Webster]

  "After the study of philosophy began in Greece, and the philosophers, disagreeing amongst themselves, had started many questions . . . because every man took what opinion he pleased, each several opinion was called a heresy; which signified no more than a private opinion, without reference to truth or falsehood."  [1913 Webster]
•  Religious opinion opposed to the authorized doctrinal standards of any particular church, especially when tending to promote schism or separation; lack of orthodox or sound belief; rejection of, or erroneous belief in regard to, some fundamental religious doctrine or truth; heterodoxy.  [1913 Webster]

  "Doubts 'mongst divines, and difference of texts,
  From whence arise diversity of sects,
  And hateful heresies by God abhor'd."  [1913 Webster]

  "Deluded people! that do not consider that the greatest heresy in the world is a wicked life."  [1913 Webster]
•  An offense against Christianity, consisting in a denial of some essential doctrine, which denial is publicly avowed, and obstinately maintained.  [1913 Webster]

  " “When I call dueling, and similar aberrations of honor, a moral heresy, I refer to the force of the Greek "  Coleridge.  [1913 Webster]

  "A second offense is that of heresy, which consists not in a total denial of Christianity, but of some its essential doctrines, publicly and obstinately avowed."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

heresy, n. (pl. -ies)
1 a belief or practice contrary to the orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church. b an instance of this.
2 a opinion contrary to what is normally accepted or maintained (it's heresy to suggest that instant coffee is as good as the real thing). b an instance of this.

Derivative

heresiology n.

Etymology

ME f. OF (h)eresie, f. eccl.L haeresis, in L = school of thought, f. Gk hairesis choice, sect f. haireomai choose

THESAURUS

heresy

Albigensianism, Arianism, Bohemianism, Catharism, Ebionitism, Erastianism, Gnosticism, Jovinianism, Lollardy, Manichaeanism, Manichaeism, Monophysism, Monophysitism, Pelagianism, Waldensianism, Wyclifism, aberrancy, aberration, agnosticism, ambiguity, ambivalence, antinomianism, antinomy, apostasy, asymmetry, atheism, beatnikism, defection, defectiveness, delusion, denial, deviancy, disbelief, discredit, disproportion, disproportionateness, dissent, dissidence, distortion, emanatism, equivocality, errancy, erroneousness, error, fallaciousness, fallacy, false doctrine, falseness, falsity, fault, faultiness, flaw, flawedness, fringiness, hamartia, heterodoxy, heterogeneity, hippiedom, hylotheism, illusion, impiety, inability to believe, incoherence, incommensurability, incompatibility, incongruity, inconsistency, inconsonance, incredulity, infidelity, irreconcilability, minimifidianism, misapplication, misbelief, misconstruction, misdoing, misfeasance, misinterpretation, misjudgment, nonbelief, nonconformability, nonconformism, nonconformity, nullifidianism, originality, oxymoron, pantheism, paradox, peccancy, perversion, rejection, revisionism, schism, self-contradiction, sin, sinfulness, unbelief, unbelievingness, unconformability, unconformity, unconventionality, unorthodoxy, untrueness, untruth, untruthfulness, wrong, wrongness

ROGET THESAURUS

heresy

Heterodoxy

N heterodoxy, error, false doctrine, heresy, schism, schismaticism, schismaticalness, recusancy, backsliding, apostasy, atheism, bigotry, fanaticism, iconoclasm, hyperorthodoxy, precisianism, bibliolatry, sabbatarianism, puritanism, anthropomorphism, idolatry, superstition, dissent, sectarism, sectarianism, noncomformity, secularism, syncretism, protestantism, Arianism, Adventism, Jansenism, Stundism, Erastianism, Calvinism, quakerism, methodism, anabaptism, Puseyism, tractarianism, ritualism, Origenism, Sabellianism, Socinianism, Deism, Theism, materialism, positivism, latitudinarianism High Church, Low Church, Broad Church, Free Church, ultramontanism, papism, papistry, monkery, papacy, Anglicanism, Catholicism, Romanism, popery, Scarlet Lady, Church of Rome, Greek Church, paganism, heathenism, ethicism, mythology, polytheism, ditheism, tritheism, dualism, heathendom, Judaism, Gentilism, Islamism, Islam, Mohammedanism, Babism, Sufiism, Neoplatonism, Turcism, Brahminism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sabianism, Gnosticism, Hylotheism, Mormonism, Christian Science, heretic, apostate, antichrist, pagan, heathen, painim, paynim, giaour, gentile, pantheist, polytheist, idolator, schismatic, sectary, sectarian, sectarist, seceder, separatist, recusant, dissenter, nonconformist, nonjuror, bigot, fanatic, abdal, iconoclast, latitudinarian, Deist, Theist, Unitarian, positivist, materialist, Homoiousian, Homoousian, limitarian, theosophist, ubiquitarian, skeptic, Protestant, Huguenot, orthodox dissenter, Congregationalist, Independent, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Calvinist, Methodist, Wesleyan, Ana, Baptist, Mormon, Latter-day Saint, Irvingite, Sandemanian, Glassite, Erastian, Sublapsarian, Supralapsarian, Gentoo, Antinomian, Swedenborgian, Adventist, Bible Christian, Bryanite, Brownian, Christian Scientist, Dunker, Ebionite, Eusebian, Faith Curer, Curist, Familist, Jovinianist, Libadist, Quaker, Restitutionist, Shaker, Stundist, Tunker, ultramontane, Anglican, Oxford School, tractarian, Puseyite, ritualist, Puritan, Catholic, Roman, Catholic, Romanist, papist, Jew, Hebrew, Rabbinist, Rabbist, Sadducee, Babist, Motazilite, Mohammedan, Mussulman, Moslem, Shiah, Sunni, Wahabi, Osmanli, Brahmin, Brahman, Parsee, Sufi, Buddhist, Magi, Gymnosophist, fire worshiper, Sabian, Gnostic, Rosicrucian, heterodox, heretical, unorthodox, unscriptural, uncanonical, antiscriptural, apocryphal, unchristian, antichristian, schismatic, recusant, iconoclastic, sectarian, dissenting, dissident, secular, (lay), pagan, heathen, heathenish, ethnic, ethnical, gentile, paynim, pantheistic, polytheistic, Judaical, Mohammedan, Brahminical, Buddhist, Romish, Protestant, bigoted superstitious, fanatical, idolatrous, visionary, slave to no sect, superstitione tollenda religio non tollitur.

Error

N error, fallacy, misconception, misapprehension, misstanding, misunderstanding, inexactness, laxity, misconstruction, miscomputation, non sequitur, mis-statement, mis-report, mumpsimus, mistake, miss, fault, blunder, quiproquo, cross purposes, oversight, misprint, erratum, corrigendum, slip, blot, flaw, loose thread, trip, stumble, botchery, slip of the tongue, slip of the lip, Freudian slip, slip of the pen, lapsus linguae, clerical error, bull, haplography, illusion, delusion, snare, false impression, false idea, bubble, self-decit, self-deception, mists of error, heresy, hallucination, false light, dream, fable, bias, misleading, erroneous, untrue, false, devoid of truth, fallacious, apocryphal, unreal, ungrounded, groundless, unsubstantial, heretical, unsound, illogical, inexact, unexact inaccurate, incorrect, indefinite, illusive, illusory, delusive, mock, ideal, spurious, deceitful, perverted, controvertible, unsustainable, unauthenticated, untrustworthy, exploded, refuted, discarded, in error, under an error, mistaken, tripping, out, out in one's reckoning, aberrant, beside the mark, wide of the mark, wide of the truth, way off, far off, astray, on a false scent, on the wrong scent, in the wrong box, outside the ballpark, at cross purposes, all in the wrong, all out, more or less, errare est humanum, mentis gratissimus error, on the dubious waves of error tost, to err is human, to forgive divine, you lie -- under a mistake.