variants
or heathen
1
as in pagans
a person who does not worship the God of the Bible
a study of the beliefs and practices of ancient heathens
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarians
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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Recent Examples of heathens
Happy Easter to all who celebrate and happy Hacks return for the heathens among us worshipping at Deborah Vance’s godless altar — the shrine piling up outside her mansion full of flowers and plush Diet Cokes.
—
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Predictably, the hubbub surrounding the photo was eventually framed as a war between uptight virgins and godless heathens, with a quieter contingent astounded only by the fact that this kind of marketing could still be so effective.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heathens
Noun
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Why would pagans want a coin with a Christian on it?—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
8 Apr. 2026
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The pagans believed eggs symbolized fertility and birth.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In most academic histories of European imperialism written in this century, the Europeans are the barbarians, killing and raping and looting on an unprecedented scale.—
David A. Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
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And if any of you barbarians out there slather ranch dressing on your wings, there’s a special place in hell just for you.—
Bill Reinhard,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heathens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heathens. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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