heresiarch

/həˈriːziɑːrk/
noun
  1. The founder or leader of a heretical movement or belief system, especially one that goes against established religious or widely accepted doctrines.
    • The church council condemned the preacher as a dangerous heresiarch who was leading people away from traditional teachings.
    • In history class, we learned about the heresiarch who started a new sect that challenged the authority of the medieval church.
    • Some critics called the philosopher a modern heresiarch for questioning long-held scientific assumptions.
Antonyms
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