WORD OF THE DAY: HETERODOX
adjective | HET-uh-ruh-dahks
Like both unorthodox and unconventional, heterodox describes something, such an idea or belief, that is contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form, or an established religion. Heterodox can also describe a person or group that holds unorthodox opinions or doctrines.
// The two new faculty members’ heterodox approach to teaching science initially met with some resistance from their peers.
EXAMPLE OF HETERODOX
“The result is what researchers call the ‘spiral of silence’ (Noelle-Neumann, 1974), which describes the process by which dissenters go quiet, fearing social backlash; this, in turn, makes other dissenters feel even more alone, producing a false consensus that further suppresses dissent. The group appears unanimous, and everyone with a heterodox view assumes they’re the only one.” — The Open Therapy Institute, Psychology Today, 22 June 2026
DID YOU KNOW?
Hot take: individuals often see other people’s ideas as unconventional while regarding their own as common sense. On second thought, this take may be more on the mild side—in other words, closer to orthodox (“conventional”) insight about human nature than to heterodox (“unconventional” or “contrary”) opinion. Both orthodox and heterodox developed from the same root, the Greek doxa, meaning “opinion.” Heterodox combines doxa with heter-, a combining form meaning “other” or “different”; orthodox pairs doxa with orth-, meaning “correct” or “straight.”
Merriam Webster Dictionary
