HEATHEN Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

heathen 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhē-t͟hən

Definition of heathen

as in barbarian

not civilized old missionaries who mistakenly thought that they were going off to China to tame the heathen hordes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

heathen

2 of 2

noun

as in pagan

a person who does not worship the God of the Bible a study of the beliefs and practices of ancient heathens

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in primitive

an uncivilized person European colonizers, who considered the New World peoples to be heathens, forced them to conform to European ways

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of heathen

Adjective

The Cincinnati Bengals welcome the media heathen universe for a gab session/sitdown, linen-tablecloth lunch known in This Space as The Mock Turtle Soupfest and Weenie Roast. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 28 May 2019 Each essay will identify a contemporary issue, discuss it through the lens of heathen myths, and suggest a solution based on heathen ideals. — Sigal Samuel, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2017

Noun

Among Catholic Filipinos, the stereotype of the Moros as dangerous heathens lingers, and discrimination against them remains widespread. — Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 In the years after the Civil War, both Republicans and Democrats portrayed the Chinese arriving on the Pacific Coast as an invading horde, a heathen, unassimilable people. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for heathen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heathen

Adjective

Language would have been a part of the divide between Roman and barbarian.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel.

— Sanat Pai RaikarAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026

Definition of barbarian

Noun

Women carry these on their heads in a festival every four years, incorporating pagan and harvest rituals into Catholic celebration during the Festa dos Tabuleiros (Festival of the Trays) in late June or early July (next up in 2027).

— Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
Whatever the explanation, thousands of people, many dressed as druids and pagans, will gather at the site on Sunday to see the sun rise.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 June 2026

Definition of pagan

Noun

Each is a move to control more of the layer between the customer and the underlying financial primitive, whether that primitive is a card rail, a deposit account, or a stablecoin reserve.

— Azeem Khan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
What follows this admission is a piercing dissection not of the art itself, but of frameworks of looking at Black art and life that go beyond racist tropes disguised as appeals to the primitive, the spontaneous, the corporeal.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

Definition of primitive

Adjective

For instance, your colleagues may be very agreeable and kind to their boss but rude to their more junior colleagues, or the cafeteria waiter.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Cole, who has to maneuver his way around 20 savage crew members, each of whom will need to be killed, doesn’t waste a homicidal movement.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
The savage battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa had already demonstrated the ferocity with which Japanese forces would defend their homeland.

— James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

The surging Phillies moved into a tie for the first NL wild-card position entering Monday, though the Cubs hold the season series tiebreaker over Philadelphia.

— Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
San Diego leads Arizona by a half-game in the race for the National League’s final wild-card spot.

— Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of wild

Browse Nearby Words

heath

heathen

heathenish

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Style

“Heathen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heathen. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of heathen

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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